


Bubblegum Bitch and Cigarette Witch

by imagentmichigan, Welcome To Hell (WildKingJackal)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Alternate Universe - X-Ray & Vav, BECAUSE FUCK YEAH MTF JACK, BECAUSE OOPS WE DECIDED TO ADD IN MARK, BLAME JACKAL OKAY IT'S JACKAL'S FAULT, Big Brother Markiplier, I'm the mastermind beHIND ALL OF THIS GET REKT MICHIGAN, It's true Jackal is the one behind all of this, M/M, MICHIGAN IS AT JACKAL'S MERCY, Slow Build, also future smut? idk, also yES FUTURE SMUT, kind of a mix between the two really, totally blame me Jackal, trans Jack too, we're trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-27 05:03:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 30,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5034835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagentmichigan/pseuds/imagentmichigan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildKingJackal/pseuds/Welcome%20To%20Hell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>EDIT: ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE</p><p>X-Ray and Vav, infamous and feared thug duo, have control of most of Achievia city's ship ports. They run more drugs through town than anyone really knows of, have some of the best connections in the world to get rid of someone, that is, if they decide they don't want to do so themselves.<br/>Mad King, formerly Vagabond, controls most of the rest of Achievia city, striving with his new corporation, handling the bigger deals of money and weapons. Ruthless leader that he is, he hires Michael Jones, better known as Mogar, to take care of the dirty work for him.<br/>Their meeting is strange, filled with tension and silence. Will they be able to control Achievia City together, or will they crumble under the pressure of each other?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Don't fucking worry about it, I'm on my way there as we speak." Michael muttered into the phone, speeding towards the ship port in his famous chrome Adder.

"I know, just hurry up. If they try to hustle you for more money than the drugs are worth, which isn't even that much since their first batch didn't have the expected purity, tell them the deal is off and they'll have to answer to me." Michael rolled his eyes as he heard Ryan's voice on the other end of the line. "If they try anything stupid, you know you're good to beat them around a little to send a message, just make sure they stay alive. I want to be the one to terminate their services."

Michael groaned, nodding even though he knew Ryan couldn't see. "Yeah, I know. Every single time you tell me this. Only tell me shit if you have any special requests on anything, alright?" Michael waited for Ryan's noise of acknowledgment, knowing he wouldn't listen anyway. "Alright, I'm pulling up to the ship port now. I'll finish up with the cooks here and head back. See you." He didn't even wait before he hung up the phone. If Ryan had a problem with that, Michael knew that Ryan would make his discomfort clear later.

He hit the breaks as he skidded into the parking lot, fist pumping as he stopped in a parking space perfectly. Years of perfection were paying off now, fucking finally. Before he got out, he picked up the small duffle bag of cash on the passenger seat. Couldn't really make the deal without it, now could he? Michael quickly got out and locked the car as he threw the bag over his shoulder, heading over to the same green and blue stack of shipping containers they'd met near before.

Upon his arrival, he turned the corner, only to find the dealers he had come to meet laying on the ground, a large pool of blood surrounding them both. "Fuck, fuck!" He swore. These were the only guys they'd been able to make a deal with, even if the meth they cooked wasn't that great. They needed these guys, at least until Ryan found more cooks to deal with. Michael ran his fingers through his hair as he looked around. "Goddammit!" He yelled out, kicking the shipping container.

Michael turned around as he heard a small chuckle from behind him, his eyes narrowing in on a pair of guys leaning against another stack nearby. His eyes flickered between the two, becoming more annoyed as they just stared back, one popping a piece of gum in his mouth and the other one lighting a cigarette. "Sorry about that, love, but you shouldn't be making deals in this part of town." The blond said, popping his gum once more.

"And why the fuck not, assholes??" He spat out, stepping closer. He recognized them as he looked closer, seeing the logos on their hoodies. Of course, on today of all days, he'd run into X-Ray and Vav, and of fucking course they ruined his deal.

"Because this is our territory. Maybe next time, stick to your own side of town, little bear cub." X-Ray commented, making Michael fume. He took another step closer, ready to fight if that's what they wanted.

Vav just laughed as he noticed Michael's stance, only further angering him. "Don't worry, we're not going to fight you. I mean, the Mad King still needs an errand boy, doesn't he? That'd just be rude of us to take that away from him. So, Mogar goes on living." Vav hummed, pushing off of the wall.

"His errand boy!?" Michael yelled, making X-Ray snicker.

"We'll see you later, little cub." The man said, winking as he and Vav started heading off in the opposite direction, leaving Michael to stand there, watching as they left.

Michael let out a noise of frustration, turning back to the shipping container and kicking it once more. As he did, he noticed the bag sitting a few feet away from the bodies, standing perfectly unscathed. He quickly made a run for it and grabbed it, noting that the meth agreed upon was in there and all accounted for. They hadn't even touched the drugs, basically gift wrapping it for him. He shrugged, putting it over his other shoulder as he stood up once more, quickly making his way to his car.

Half an hour later and he found himself bursting through the door to Ryan's office, throwing the bags onto his desk, not caring that he was currently working on something there. He waited until Ryan looked up, a questioning look in his eye. "Good news is, we get free meth this week. Bad news is we need to hire more cooks." Michael told him, taking a seat.

"And why do we need new cooks?" Ryan asked, a dark look overcoming his face as he stared at Michael.

Michael just shook his head. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but I didn't kill them. I mean yeah, they were scum who made bad meth, but I didn't kill them. I ran into X-Ray and Vav at the scene. They were dead when I got there, and those assholes were just waiting for me." Michael told him angrily.

Ryan hummed, leaning back in his seat as he kept staring at Michael. "And they didn't touch you?" He asked.

"No, they didn't lay a hand on me, though I was ready to fight. They fucking told me they didn't want to kill your 'errand boy', fucking pricks. And X-Ray called me a bear cub!" Michael growled as he shot up from his chair, pacing around it a little as he waved his arms around. "I'm not a fucking little cub, I'm a full grown bear and I'm ready to shred their asses if they give me a reason to!"

Ryan held up his hands, beckoning him back into his seat. "Calm down, Mogar. Do you think you could find them again?" He asked, and Michael just let out a scoff as he nodded. "Good. I think we need to have a chat with them. Tomorrow night I want you back on that side of town, looking for them. When you find them, bring them here. I need them here unharmed, Michael. Do you understand?"

Michael sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I can do that. Unharmed. Got it." He muttered, crossing his arms. "I'll show them, I'm not some little errand cub." He mumbled under his breath, standing up. "Alright, I'll get this product to our dealers for distribution, you stay here and do...whatever it is you do."

"I'm working on something very important, okay? Now, when you leave can you send up Jack? I need her opinion on something." Michael rolled his eyes but nodded, quickly leaving Ryan to do his 'work'.

...

Ryan stayed in his office, humming gently to himself as he swivelled his chair to look outside, a sinister grin growing on his lips as he thought. If he was able to hire X-Ray and Vav, most of the city would be his, which was something he was quite looking forward to. 

He turned when he heard Jack enter, his smirk growing. "You're going to call me mad-" 

"I already do," she interrupted, smiling amusedly at Ryan's noise of protest.

"I'm going to try and hire X-Ray and Vav." 

"Okay, you're definitely insane," She said as she moved to sit down, "but do tell me more."


	2. Chapter 2

It's weeks later when Michael finally managed to catch a glimpse of the duo, running on rooftops and jumping from one to another. The auburn haired man groaned loudly as he tried to follow them in his chrome Adder, but it didn't take long for the two to notice him. They quickly changed course and started hiding in alleyways, running from one to another with what seemed like grins on their faces.

Michael huffed and parked his Adder carefully before getting out and running after them, urgency in his heart as he spotted them climbing up another fire escape. He followed as close as he could, hearing their laughter as they started jumping from roof to roof. For some reason, Michael's chest was starting to feel lighter now, and he swore there was a smile on his lips as they ran.

He caught up to them with a bit of difficulty, tackling them both to the ground with a loud laugh. They lay on the rooftop, laughing and panting, warm bodies curling up around each other. "Leaving the Mad King for us, love?" Michael snorts at that, still relaxed on top of X-Ray and Vav.

"Aww, lil bear cub you came all this way for us? How sweet."  They seemed to relax, shifting to be on their sides, even as Michael stiffened slightly and a frown formed on his lips. The man caught a glimpse of tan skin before there were lips on his own, soft and warm. Michael felt himself relax more into the kiss, finding himself enjoying it instead of being so shocked from it.

Before he knew it he was flipped over onto his back, a warm body pressed up against him gently. "Little bear." He felt the breath of whoever was on top of him ghost over his lips. His own breath hitched, his eyes blinking open to stare at brown orbs behind glasses. The younger man was all but laying on him by now, and Michael realised that his hands had placed themselves against the other's hips of their own accord.

"I- wait- um-" He was silenced by another kiss, letting himself melt into it again. How couldn't he? He hadn't had the time to let himself relax lately, and this was nice, so very nice. He let out a pleased noise, kissing back with need. The other pulled away and turned his head to the side. "So, Vav, we going?" Michael gripped at who he now realized was X-Ray's hips, letting out a small noise as he moved to the man's neck, nipping softly.

The young man giggled and tugged away from Michael, his lips quirked up in a smirk. "Relax, down there, lil' cub." Michael growled slightly in response before his cheek was pecked. "Mm, it'd be a bad idea to keep 'im waiting, honestly." He heard scuffling as Vav stood up, dusted his pants off and then helped X-Ray off of Michael.

Michael let out a whine but was helped up by both of them very quickly, making him show them the way back to the Adder.

...

In the Mad King's office, after X-Ray had finally stopped snogging Mogar long enough for them to get there, Vav observed his surroundings carefully. He amusedly noted that X-Ray's hand was cupping Mogar's ass and had squeezed momentarily, making the other man squeak and jump slightly as he flushed bright red.

The King seemed just as much annoyed as he was amused. Vav barely looked his way before looking straight at X-Ray, quirking an eyebrow in question. He saw his friend's mouth point downwards and he smiled back encouragingly, lowering his head slightly to give him a slight puppy dog look. X-Ray huffed and turned away before looking back, seeming annoyed. When Vav gave him a questioning look, all he got in response was a sigh and he understood.

At that same moment, as Vav moved for his pack of gum X-Ray went for his cigarettes and lighter. They were in sync in their motions, years of living and working together had molded them into best friends and even brothers. They were a package deal, no use denying it. They didn't leave the other behind, ever, and they didn't leave town without the other unless they had spoken about it beforehand. They were inseparable, the perfect team.

When they finally turned back towards the now terribly confused Mad King, who had a dark look in his eyes now that he noticed, Vav could only smirk. He observed Ray pull at Mogar until the man let out a surprised squeak and fell into Vav's friend's lap. The Mad King's gaze darkened further, glaring at the two hoodie-covered thugs. Vav popped his gum and smiled smugly as a paper was slid their way. "You know, I was thinking and I believe it would be beneficial for us all to work together." His voice seemed cold and snappy to Vav, and he assumed it was because that even as Mogar tried to move out of X-Ray's lap, he was held back by the tanner man's free arm.

Gavin read the contract over, looking towards his best friend afterwards. X-Ray quirked an eyebrow before tucking his lit cigarette between his lips and taking the paper. He read it attentively before nodding to Vav, handing the paper back to take his cigarette out of his mouth and let the drag he took flow freely from between his lips. Vav nodded and took a pen from the desk, signing his and X-Ray's names on the paper before handing it back to the Mad King. He seemed...pleased, to say the least. "Your first assignment is tomorrow night. One of my associates will send you a message."

Vav stood, patting Mogar's shoulder as he popped his gum a few more times, giving Ray a look. The younger chuckled before pressing a kiss to Mogar's lips once more, dragging him closer and getting things heated before pulling back. "See you tomorrow, little cub?" Mogar let out a strange noise as he nodded, his face flushed red. He stood then, letting X-Ray slap his ass before leaving with Vav. They caught the tail-end of Mogar's aggravated "what" as they exited.

...

They were miles away in the living room of their shared apartment before Vav finally began talking about the deal they had made. "It'll be fun, working for someone for a bit again. Don't you think so, Ray?" 

Ray let out a soft noise as he let himself fall onto their couch. "Eh, y'know, Gav, we could have easily taken him out then and there." he grumbled in an annoyed tone. "So why didn't we?"

"Ray, you were enjoying some Mogar action! And, anyways, it's not like we'd have anything to do with the whole city at our disposal. We still need some kind of power chain."

Ray's grunt was one of understanding as he laid his arm over his eyes, finally letting himself relax. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up once more. "I'd fuck Mogar." 

Gavin choked on his own spit at that before he started laughing loudly, turning to his best friend. "Wot?!"

"You heard me! He's hot, I'd tap that ass. Plus, I thought I made it quite obvious that I'd hit that." Gavin laughed once more as he moved to the couch and lifted Ray's legs to sit down. He put them on his lap as he relaxed into the comfortable cushion on his back, a soft smile on his lips. They were quiet for a good long while until Gavin got serious again, and Ray felt the shift in the air before sitting up. "What are you thinking?"

"This Mad King...he could easily try to get rid of us, yeah? But, why hasn't he yet? All this time we've been in his bloody way and he hasn't tried taking us out, ever." Gavin's green eyes were cold and slightly distant as Ray shifted to get a better look at him.

"Dude, does it matter? We're still alive even after playing him a few times. And anyways, YOLO, am I right?"

Gavin gave Ray an amused look before going back to his thoughts, popping his gum a few times. "Honestly, Gav," Ray poked at his best friend's stomach with his foot. "Relax. He hired us, it's not like he's gonna try to kill us now, right?"

Gavin sighed. "I guess you're right." There was still a lingering feeling of dread in the back of his mind, like something horrible was going to happen. He decided it was just his imagination and pushed the feeling away, smiling at his friend. "Yeah, you're right. You're right." Ray's triumphant smile made Gavin beam as he turned the television on. "A few games before sleep, X-Ray?"

"Oh fuck yeah. I'm gonna beat your ass, Vav."


	3. Chapter 3

The next night found Gavin and Ray outside of a warehouse, Ray looking through the scope of his pink sniper rifle while Gavin sat behind a rock, playing around on his phone and occasionally sending Geoff an update, since he was, unsurprisingly to Gavin, the Mad King's associate who contacted them. They'd been waiting here for hours, waiting for their targets to make their way out of the warehouse. Apparently, a few of Ryan's underlings were skimming the top of his drugs and giving out 'samples' without his permission, and since they were on the side of town that Gavin and Ray usually patrolled, it only made sense to task them with the job of taking the men out. It was simple. A little too simple for Gavin's taste, but you can't start out big, right?

He heard Ray sigh as he popped his gum, and grinned widely. "Really, Vav? Not fair. I haven't had a cigarette in hours. Spit out the gum, if I have to go without then you have to go without." Ray muttered.

"Aww, but X-Ray! It's not my fault you like things that glow in the dark." Gavin hummed, popping his gum again. 

"Vav, I swear to God that I'm gonna punch you in the throat. Spit it out." 

"You're not the boss of me." He chuckled, looking out towards the warehouse. "Besides, aren't those two men leaving our targets? Can't really take the time to punch me now, can ya?" He picked up his gun, pointing at the man closest to them. "I've got the closest one." 

"Alright, I got the other." Ray murmured, putting a finger on the trigger. "On three, one, two, three." They both hit the trigger, taking the two out at the same time. "Alright, I guess we're done here." Ray smiled at Gavin, picking up the case for his gun. 

Gavin shrugged, grabbing his own case. "Yeah, kind of boring though, but I guess it was a job. And we're actually getting paid for it." He hummed, putting his gun away. 

"True true! Looks like I don't have to sell the rest of my weed this week after all! We can even get real food. We can go from McDonald's value menu to Denny's." Ray fist pumped before zipping up his case.

Gavin laughed as he started towards the car, grinning back at the man. "That's not too much of an upgrade." He told him, spitting out his gum, which had now lost its flavor. 

"It is to me! Denny's is expensive." Ray huffed as they reached the car, putting their guns in the back. Gavin rolled his eyes as they climbed into the car, Ray in the driver's seat and Gavin into the passenger spot. 

Gavin pulled out his phone after he buckled up, opening up the messages to Geoff. 'Job's done, we're on our way back to the Mad King.' He sent. "Alright, well we'll go get Denny's after we go get paid, how does that sound?" 

"It sounds fucking great. I'll buy the milkshakes!" Ray said, lighting a cigarette as Gavin pulled out his gum. 

Gavin laughed, picking his phone back up when it went off. "Alright, you do that." He said as he opened the message, and laughed at what had been sent. 'Great job, glad you didn't fuck it up and make me come clean up your mess. Proud of you assholes.' 

A silence fell between the two as Ray turned on the radio and Gavin thought back to the first time he'd met Geoff. 

...

It was soon after he'd made his way into America, before the two moved down to Los Santos. When Gavin got off the plane in Liberty City only months after his parents had passed away, he found himself in a place he didn't know how to survive in. He went from a small town in England with parents who didn't seem to give two fucks about him to a big city in America with only fifty dollars to his name. 

It hadn't taken him long before he began using the skills that Dan's grandfather had taught them as boys, and he got his cash by pickpocketing unsuspecting victims. Gavin, having been taught well, knew to hit those who dressed well and obviously had a lot of cash. Being new to the city, however, he didn't realize that there were certain people you shouldn't pickpocket. So when one day, Geoff happened to stop by the coffee shop Gavin frequented dressed in a full suit and Gavin decided he was the best target. Once he'd gotten his coffee, Gavin had moved in and casually took the wallet from his back pocket without being detected. 

The next day when he went back to the same coffee shop, he spotted the same suit with the same disgruntled man, and he'd grinned. Making sure he wasn't seen, he was able to take the wallet once more and that night he'd celebrated by getting a man to buy him booze and went out and got food for himself before going back to his 'home' under a bridge. Unfortunately though, being Gavin, he thought he'd be able to get lucky three times in a row, but the next day before he even reached the coffee shop he was stopped by the same man he'd stolen from the two days before, and when he saw the look on the man's face he knew that he'd made a mistake. 

Before he could even try to run or even flinch though, the look of anger on the man's face vanished as he instead began to laugh. "Oh, oh man the look on your face." Gavin stared in confusion, especially as the man held out a hand. "I'm Geoff Ramsey. You know, usually in these situations I'd send you to a hospital, but you've successfully impressed me kid. I didn't even see you yesterday and you still got my wallet." 

Gavin shook Geoff's hand, still staring back in fear. "I-I'm Gavin." He mumbled, but instead of Geoff changing his mind and beating him anyway, he pulled him in close. 

"Honestly, you really lucked out picking me to steal from. I know much more ruthless men who frequent that coffee shop who would have killed you without a second thought, so you really gotta be careful in these parts. You know what? How about you come home with me, I'll buy you new clothes and you can take a nice warm shower. I've got an extra bed anyway, and I think you've definitely earned a night off the streets." Gavin had followed Geoff home, and even though it was supposed to be only one night, Gavin ended up moving in while Geoff took him under his wing. 

Since then the man had raised him as his own, and hadn't even minded when one day when Gavin came home, he brought Ray with him, having met him on the streets a few weeks earlier. After Gavin and Ray had both turned eighteen, Geoff had moved them all to Los Santos, and only after months of living there and working for Geoff, Ray and Gavin had decided to go their own path and became X-Ray and Vav. Geoff, in support, had gotten them their own apartment and told them he'd be there if they needed him, but he wasn't going to pay for everything they did. 

...

"Vav? You hear me?" Ray asked as he looked at his friend, lost in his own little world. 

"Wot?" The other asked, frowning. 

Ray rolled his eyes, taking a drag from his cigarette before replying. "I said, Mark's coming to visit in a few months, I forgot to mention it earlier. He gave me a call this morning, and told me that we better have a futon for him to crash on because he's sick of our couch." 

Gavin laughed at that, and Ray smiled. "I guess we'll be able to get him a futon with our new funds, so he'll be happy when he visits. Why isn't he visiting sooner?" 

Ray shrugged. "Something about him needing to take care of some business with Wade, Bob, and Jack. But he said that no matter what he'd take the time to come visit us, since he hasn't seen us in awhile. Also, Mama Narvaez sends her love." Ray smiled as Gavin cooed at that, letting his own mind drift off as he drove on. 

...

Ray was out on the streets in a darkened alley, having ventured off on his own after his mother had told him that she was going to stay with his Aunt for a few days. She had offered to bring him with, but he had declined, wanting some time for himself to think about the fact that his father had left. So, after making sure the house was stocked with cheap food, he took the remaining money his mother had left him and went out in search for something to take the edge off. 

Of course, not knowing anything about the side of town he was on, he didn't know what he was doing, so he was just wandering around looking for anyone who seemed to be selling anything. Though, as expected, in his wandering he happened to get lost and just gave up, taking a seat next to a dumpster as he let out his frustration through hot tears and punching the ground he was sitting on. 

"Hey, you okay?" Ray looked up to see a man with pink hair who didn't look much older than him stood above him, a look of concern on the guy's face. 

"I'm fine!" He snapped, looking back down at his shoes, shoving his hands into the pockets of the purple hoodie he was wearing. To his surprise though, the man took a seat next to him on the dirty ground. 

"You don't look fine. What's up?" The guy asked, taking Ray aback. 

He sighed, still refusing to look up at the man. "All I wanted to fucking do was come out here and score something to get high, and I have no idea what I'm doing." He muttered, wiping away the tears still running down his cheeks. He stiffened for a moment as he felt a hand on his back, but quickly relaxed into it. 

"Well, if you're looking to get high, anything you might find on the streets isn't really anything you want to be involved with. Though, I do have a friend who'd be willing to sell me some weed, if you want." Ray looked up to see the guy smiling down at him, and Ray was shocked. 

"You don't even know me, why the fuck are you doing this? Why are you even offering?" He asked, sniffling. 

The guy shrugged, standing up and reaching down a hand to help Ray. "Because you look like you're going through a tough time. My name's Mark, by the way. So, why are you looking to get high?" 

Ray took the hand, standing up. "I'm Ray. And I just...my dad just up and left me and my mother, and I just need some sort of distraction." Mark nodded in what seemed to be understanding, pulling Ray close to walk alongside him. After Mark bought weed for Ray and gave him a bowl to use with it, he helped him find his way home. 

That night was only the beginning, and after that Ray saw Mark around town more. Mark was always kind, and showed Ray how to protect himself, giving him the tools and skills he needed. Ray brought Mark over after they would practice, and his mother immediately took to Mark, telling him he needed to come over more, asking if he'd been eating and sleeping properly, and all-out mothering him. Six months after they'd met in that alleyway, and Mark had become his brother. 

Of course though, things always had to change. Ray met Gavin on the streets, and Mark took in Gavin just as he'd taken in Ray himself. The three became a group of brothers, always hanging out either in Geoff's penthouse, Ray's living room, or in Mark's apartment. But then Ray turned eighteen, deciding to pack up and follow Gavin and his new father figure to Los Santos, and Mark decided to take his small crew to Vice City, a town much closer to Liberty City. 

Things may have changed, but Mark was still his brother, and of course at hearing the news that he was coming to Los Santos to visit, it made Ray fill up with joy knowing he would be seeing the man who put him back together so many years ago. 

...

"Ray, slow down, you're gonna bloody pass it!" Gavin said as he poked at Ray, snapping him back to reality. 

"Oh, shit." Ray slowed down, turning into the parking lot of the building where the Mad King was based. "Sorry Vav. Hey, at least we're here. Time to head in and get our pay, yeah? I promised milkshakes." 

Gavin grinned back at Ray, putting his phone into his pocket as he got out of the car, heading towards the building.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times Vav annoyed the Mad King and one time the Mad King snapped.

They walked in sync towards the Mad King's office, small smiles on their faces as they did so. Once they got to the door and Gavin pulled his hood up, Ray spotted Michael and grinned. "Hey, you can handle this, right?" Gavin chuckled and waved his brother off before knocking on the door and walking in without waiting for an answer. The Mad King looked up from where he was signing papers with a somewhat annoyed look. The hooded lad popped his bubblegum as he sauntered closer, barely sitting on the gent's desk. "I take it the job was a success?"

The eldest leaned back into his chair, crossing his legs and fingers as he observed Vav. With his tight jeans and slightly loose hoodie, there wasn't much of the lad left to the imagination. He nodded, then, his eyes focusing on a small golden cow on Ryan's desk before picking it up. He popped his gum once more, smirking slightly at the annoyance showing on the King's face. "Your payment will arrive shortly, then."

Vav hummed softly, throwing the golden cow figurine in the air before catching it over and over again, popping his bubblegum in time with the cow's landing. He reveled in the king's face becoming darker and darker at every pop until there was a soft knock at the door and some muffled laughter. "Come in." Mogar and X-Ray walked in, disheveled and flushed, lips kiss bruised. The kingpin rolled his eyes annoyedly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Gavin pocketed the cow and walked to X-Ray, bumping the other lad's shoulder.

"Yeah, so, your targets were taken out. We getting paid or whatever?" Mogar shoved at X-Ray gently before walking off to get a suitcase, he brought it back and opened it when Ryan gave him the signal, showing the money off with a smirk. Gav let out a low whistle before popping his gum and moving to take one of the packs of bills, throwing it at X-Ray. The other caught it, an unimpressed look of his face as he let his thumb drag against the cash. "Alright, cool." He put the lump back in the suitcase, stealing it from Mogar's grasp and closing it before shoving it at Vav's chest. "You're carrying because I'm driving."

At Vav's annoyed noise, the Mad King's eyes turned to him, curiosity shining in them. "Shut up, asshole, last time you drove the car we almost died." The blue hoodied lad sagged at that but followed Ray out. 

Before the doors could close, however, Ryan say him take Edgar out of his pocket and smirk at him, annoying Ryan even more than before. "How dare that- that  _brat_!"

Mogar stifled a snort before Ryan threw a pen at him. "Get out of here! Give them their next assignment, make sure he brings Edgar back!" Michael scurried out with a soft laugh before Ryan could berate him further.

* * *

The second time Vav and Ryan met, Michael had an arm loosely wrapped around the taller lad's waist as they whispered away. Once Ryan was spotted, however, the hazel green eyed lad became mute. Michael turned towards his boss and smiled, waving his free hand at him. He didn't understand his new friend's sudden silence and prodded the other lad with the hand holding him, eliciting a confused glare.

Michael understood in that moment and couldn't help but laugh, pulling Vav in for a tight hug. "You're a fucking idiot." He muttered half-heartedly in his taller friend's shoulder. The hug was returned happily, Gavin pulling Michael closer and nuzzling at his hair. They chuckled together for a minute before Ryan stepped next to them, a slightly annoyed glare on his face.

"Alright, well, see ya around, Vav." Michael lifted his hand for a goodbye but smirked at the look on Gavin's face when he noticed the golden cow in it. "Sorry, my boi. Boss's orders." He threw the small figurine at his boss, who caught it with ease, before leaving.

Gavin turned then, popping his gum annoyingly loud for the Mad King to hear. "Listen,  _Vav_. I don't care who you think you are, you're my employee here, if you take anything from me, I will terminate you."

The lad snorted challengingly, as if telling the Mad King that not only did he not have the guts to fight him, but he didn't have the guts to face X-Ray if he did ever kill Vav. They stood there, glaring at each other for a long while, Gavin feeling like his personal space was being taken over while Ryan felt more and more in control

X-Ray walked over and tapped his brother's shoulder, smiling softly. "Cigarette break. Let's go outside." Vav mumbled something incoherent before shooting the Mad King one last dirty glare and popping his gum at the man. He was dragged outside by his friend before he could do anything more dangerous.

"Dude, you need to be more careful." Ray's voice was harsh, scolding as he lit his cigarette outside. "The guy's nuts, Vav. He won't hesitate to kill us, you're the one who brought that up, remember?!"

Gavin huffed, kicking at the ground annoyedly. "He's just no fun, X-Ray! He won't loosen up, bloody prick." He couldn't help but growl a bit as he paced, popping his gum over and over.

Ray, knowing this was a lost cause, shook his head as he looked away and kept smoking.

* * *

The third time had Gavin entering the King's office without question. It had already been three months since Vav and X-Ray had been hired, they were quickly becoming favourites with their boss. Ryan was glad for the distraction, expecting the lad to say something but all he did was sit upon the desk and stare as the gent worked away on not-so-important work.

It was distracting in a mostly infuriating manner. The lad kept carding his hand through his already messy hair, making it even worse. It kept attracting Ryan's attention, and all he wanted to do was tug and pull at it or smooth it back into place.

He pushed the thought away as he kept working until he felt the soft thump-thump of Vav's feet against the desk. He looked towards him, then, glaring warningly before the hero simply popped his gum away.

After a while, the noises and sensation on the desk became background noise to the Mad King. It wasn't until Vav leaned in closer, to have a look at the papers, did he remember he was there. He shifted his head, slightly, only to be met with hazel green eyes staring at him intensely. 

Blue fought hazel until the door creaked open once more and Mogar walked in. Vav pulled away, letting himself fall of the desk to stand before walking to Mogar, hugging him around the shoulders and nuzzling at the side of his head. "Hey, man. Ray's looking for you, actually. And I need to talk to the boss, so I'll see you later." And with that, Ryan watched as Vav left without a word, popping his gum like he always did.

The fourth time they met, the Mad King was actually getting prepared for a meeting and looked far better dressed than he had before. His hair, instead of being a loose mess, was now fixed perfectly in place. His outfit that had consisted of a  ~~skirt~~ kilt and a plain button up, was now being complemented by a bowtie and a suit jacket.

Gavin couldn't help his staring as he popped his gum loudly, calling attention to himself. Thankfully Ray was with him this time. "Good, you're here. Mogar will text you your targets that'll be at the party tonight, and unfortunately I also have to go." Gavin hummed, eyeing the gent up and down with an appreciative smirk.

Ray elbowed him softly, giving his brother an annoyed glare. The other shrugged it off with a smile, still looking at Ryan as he buttoned his cuffs. "Vav, you'll be coming with me. I need someone on the inside to poison the drinks for me. X-Ray, you'll be on a nearby roof to pick out the people who leave before your partner can poison them. Here's my phone number, update me along the way." They nodded, Gavin blinking softly before he looked up at his boss questioningly. "The next room, people are waiting there to fit you into a suit. They work quickly and efficiently. Go."

The man barely looked at him before going back to get ready. Gavin huffed and stalked off, finding the tailors who dragged him inside without wasting time. Within an hour, he was fitted into a beautiful dark suit with a shiny dark green tie that complemented his eyes. He looked at himself in the mirror in slight awe.

He'd never thought he'd actually look good in a suit, tees and hoodies had been Ray and his' go to clothes for as long as they knew each other. Still, as he turned and twisted to observe himself more, he almost missed the way the Mad King was staring at him from the doorway. He smirked and made sure to make a show of his ass, catching the man stiffen slightly before he cleared his throat.

"C'mon, we're going to be late, fashionably so." He held out his arm for Gavin who stared at it in confusion before realising what he needed to do. He quickly interlocked his arm with the king's, his face tinging pink. If the king noticed, he said nothing.

Within a few minutes, Gavin had his boss's phone number on his cell and had been handed ricin. When staring at the man in pure confusion he simply shook his head. "Look, just use it. I want it to look like natural causes, just make sure it gets in all of their drinks, y'hear?"

Gavin rolled his eyes but easily slipped the bottle in his right arm sleeve before grabbing onto Ryan's with his left. He felt like the king was parading him around, showing him off like some trophy. Though, honestly, it didn't feel all that bad. Gavin left Ryan's side when he spotted Geoff, making happy bird-like noises as he did so.

"Geoffrey!" Ryan was surprised to finally hear the lad's voice, something in him calming at the sound of it, though his annoyance grew as people gathered around the kingpin and, who he now knew, was his golden boy.

"Oh, Ramsey! You didn't tell us your boy would be here!"

"Yes, such a surprise, you always announce his arrival usually!"

Geoff held onto Gavin tightly, smiling brightly as he stared at his son. "Yeah, well-"

"He's actually my guest for the night." The Mad King smiled as he walked over to the small group, offering his arm to the lad. "I'm sorry to steal him away so soon, but we have people to meet."

Gavin happily latched onto Ryan's arm again, a grin on his lips. "Sorry, Geoffrey! I'll come see you later this week, alright?" The brit barely spent a glance at his adoptive father a Ryan reveled in the confusion and anger in the older man's eyes.

They met with the leader of the Lost MC first, Ryan happily holding Vav by the waist, tucked against his side, as they spoke. After a bit of chit chat, however, Gavin was soon roused from his thoughts.

“Vav, be a dear and grab us some drinks from the waiter there.” Gavin blinked before he smiled brightly.

“Course, love.” He quickly moved to the waiter, taking two champagne flutes as Ryan spoke business, smiling politely and distracting the kingpin from Gavin’s quick hands.

The rest of the evening went about the same, Gavin and Ryan going around talking with different gang leaders, a few who weren’t targets, but at least three were.

A few people had asked about Gavin’s brother, which Ryan guessed was Ray until Gavin answered gently. “Oh, well, Wilford’s right over there.” He pointed to a tuft of pink hair, making Ryan pale slightly.

“Warfstache is your _brother_?”

“Yeh, he’s a cool bloke.” Gave simply smiled before continuing on with Ryan, annoying the older greatly. A man named Mark Nutt was their last target, and though he was slightly pompous and annoying, Gavin quickly took a liking to him. They settled at a table, Gavin far too close to Nutt for Ryan’s liking, almost completely in the other’s lap.

The fifth time, Vav didn’t seem to notice the king’s annoyance as they spoke of archery amongst other things. It wasn’t until the man gripped softly at his shoulder did he realise they were being watched. “Hey, Haywood. Sorry, but we’re talking right now.”

“Nutt. Vav is mine for the evening, I would get your hands off of him if I were you.” The king practically hissed as Gavin poured Ricin in the kingpin’s drink. “Relax, love.” Gavin stood, letting Mark Nutt kiss his hand as the lad giggled before latching back onto Ryan.

“I’m getting tired, I think I’ll go back to the bedroom, yeah?” He leaned in, pecking Ryan sweetly on the cheek before turning to wink at the man he’d just poisoned, watching as he took a sip from his drink.

Later the next day, Gavin walked into Ryan's office, walking over to the desk silently before sitting on top of the king's paperwork, smiling softly. He was wearing nothing but a tee and pants today, which was slightly surprising to Ryan but he simply raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

He was expecting the lad to chuckle and leave after a few minutes, but when he just kept staring at Ryan and popping his gum, the gent was irked enough to stand up and try to move him. What he received in response to his efforts were legs wrapped around his waist and half-lidded hazel eyes. He stared at the lad for a second before Vav leaned in to brush his lips against the king's.

Ryan wasted no time to tug Gavin to the edge of the desk and kiss him harshly and demandingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave to kudos and comments if you liked!
> 
> Shoutout to DanTheExplodingCreeper for liking all our stuff! You're the bae.  
> (p.s.: leave a comment so we can smooch your face pls)  
> (p.p.s.: we love you)  
> (p.p.p.s.: proud of you too <3 )


	5. Chapter 5

Ryan wasted no time to tug Gavin to the edge of the desk and kiss him harshly and demandingly. He felt arms wrap around his neck and hands thread through his hair, urging him on as he pulled Vav as close as he could. One hand moved up under Vav's shirt, running over the skin he was exposing as he moved from the other's lips to latch onto his neck. "King..." He heard Vav whisper, and he grinned. 

"Ryan." He responded, and at the confused noise Vav made, he elaborated. "My name's Ryan. You know, if you need something better than 'Mad King' to call me in bed." Ryan purred, sucking a mark into the base of Vav's neck as he chuckled. 

“Gavin.” He murmured back, tugging at Ryan’s hair as he rolled his hips. “It’s less formal than Vav, so.” 

Ryan hummed in acknowledgment, pulling back to tug off Gavin’s shirt. Once it was off and on the floor, he latched back onto Gavin’s lips, holding him close as he did. When he felt hands unbuttoning his shirt, he moved his own hands to Gavin’s jeans, undoing them as quickly as he could. His mind wandered back to last night, remembering the suit that Gavin had been wearing at the party. “What did you do with that suit from last night?” He asked, curious.

“You’re really going to ask that right now?” Gavin muttered, shoving Ryan’s shirt off of his shoulders. “I kept it. Why, did you like it?” He purred, waggling his eyebrows up at Ryan.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Ryan growled, tugging Gavin's jeans off as he sucked a mark high on the other's neck. 

Once Gavin's pants were off, he moved to take off his kilt only to have his hands swatted away. "Leave it on." Gavin whispered, making Ryan groan as he rolled his hips into Gavin's, pulling him closer. Ryan moved his hand to wrap around Gavin as the other bit into his collarbone, bringing his other hand up to tangle into Gavin's ridiculous bleach-blond hair. "Bloody hell, Rye." Ryan heard him whisper, and he grinned at that. 

After a few moments, Ryan dropped to his knees in front of Gavin, pulling his hips right up to the edge of the table as he took his cock in his mouth. At the feel of Gavin's nails digging into his shoulders, pulling him closer, he let out a moan around him. He looked up as he bobbed his head, letting his blue eyes meet those hazel eyes above him. Every time he pulled back, he teased Gavin with his tongue, causing the fingers on his shoulders to dig in more, nails drawing blood. 

"Goddamn, so good." Gavin moaned above him, urging him on as he continued. His own nails dug into Gavin's thighs, causing the man above to gasp sharply. "Don't stop, don't stop--" Gavin cut himself off with a moan, and Ryan knew he was close when he started shaking. He moved faster, sucking and licking with each bob of his head. "R-Ryan!" Gavin groaned, and Ryan swallowed him down as he came. He lifted his head, wiping off his mouth as he stood up once more. 

Gavin grinned at him before pulling him close, kissing him deeply as a hand moved under his kilt. Ryan's breath hitched as the hand wrapped around his cock, pumping him as Gavin bit his lip. He moved to mouth at Gavin's jaw, making his way back down to suck dark mark into the side of his neck that wasn't already covered, biting more harshly as he rocked his hips into the hand. "Fuck." Ryan muttered against his skin, digging his fingers into Gavin's hips hard enough to cause marks. 

Ryan didn't last long, already pent up from everything he'd been doing before. He gasped as he came, thrusting his hips in time with Gavin's hand around him. His gaze darkened as Gavin merely lifted his hand, licking away the cum splattered across it. "Maybe I should come bother you while you work more often." Gavin hummed, grinning at the elder as he hopped off of the desk. Ryan watched as he gathered his clothes, getting dressed quickly. Ryan picked up his own shirt, pulling it on and starting to button it as his breath slowed back down. 

Before he could start cleaning up the rest of the mess though, Gavin tugged him close, giving him one last filthy kiss before pulling back, winking as he left the room. Ryan blinked as the door shut, sighing before turning back to the mess strewn all over, papers in a messy pile on the desk and floor. If he was completely honest, he hoped that Gavin would come bug him a bit more as well, even as he spit out the gum he ended up with after Gavin had left.

...

Gavin walked through the door to the apartment, expecting it to be quiet at the late hour. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it after all the rough treatment it'd received in his...earlier activities with the Mad King. Before he could make it more than a few feet from the door though, he was frozen in place as a light turned on, shining bright to reveal Mark standing there with his arms crossed. "Hello." He greeted, waving awkwardly as he other just quirked and eyebrow.

"And where have you been out so late?" Mark asked, and Gavin's face burned red as he saw his eyes land on his neck. "Have fun?" 

Gavin just kicked off his shoes and hung up his hoodie, pushing past Mark. "Don't give me that look, shut up." He said as he headed to the kitchen. 

Mark laughed as he followed, taking a seat at the table as Gavin began to rummage through the fridge. "Hey, you know I have no judgments. If you wanna go out and have fun, then I'm all for it. So, who was it? Someone I know? Was it just some one night-stand?" Mark asked excitedly, making Gavin scowl. "Was it that guy you were all over near the end of the Mad King's party? What was his name, Mark Nutt? I thought I saw him slip you his number." Mark said as he winked. 

"Ugh, no! Not in a million years. The guy was a smarmy git. I was only all over him to make him more pleased, thinking he'd maybe want to do business with my boss." Gavin said. "It was just a one-night stand, it's probably never gonna happen again. Just a bout of hate-sex." 

Mark chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "Whatever you say." He grinned. "So what's up with Ray and that guy Mogar?" Mark asked innocently, making Gavin groan. 

"I have a feeling you already know and you already did something. What've you done?" He asked, taking a seat across from Mark. 

"Well, y'know, I've been hearing the name Mogar getting thrown around a lot on the phone, and when I heard his name and saw him after going to that party, well...I might have talked to him. He seems like a good kid though." 

Gavin took a grape from the bowl in front of him, lifting an eyebrow. "Talked? Did you threaten him already? You were only in town for an hour before the party!" Gavin sighed. 

"What's up?" Ray asked as he entered the room, grabbing a red bull from the fridge. "Jeez Gav, you look like shit. Who was it?" He asked, grinning. 

"It was a one-night bout of hate-sex! Lay off of it!" Gavin cried out in a frustrated tone. "Also, Mark talked to your boyfriend at the Mad King's party." 

Ray popped the top on his red bull, turning to Mark. "You did what? Is that why he hasn't texted me back all day!?" Ray asked, taking a seat with them. "What the fuck did you say!?" 

"Hey, I only said that if he hurt you, then I'd hunt him down and no one would ever find the body. It's not MY fault if that threat scares him...It wasn't even that bad! He's a good kid though, so I do approve of him." Mark replied, smiling at the two as Ray glared back and Gavin held a look of exasperation. 

"Alright, well you guys can sort that out, I'm gonna head off and go to bed. Have a lovely evening." Gavin sighed as he stood up, heading towards his room with the bowl of grapes he had grabbed from the fridge. 

As he remembered his night with the Mad King, he grinned from ear to ear. No, tonight wasn't just a one-night stand. He'd make sure there was more.


	6. Chapter 6

Ray gave Mark a harsh glare as the elder simply smiled innocently. “Seriously, man? I was actually thinking of keeping him!”

Mark had the decency to look sheepish as he shrugged and looked away. “I’m sorry, okay? I only want what’s best for you, you know that.” He looked back with an apologetic smile that Ray simply sighed at before he, too, smiled.

“Yeah I know. Doesn’t stop you from being an asshole, though.”

They laughed before the atmosphere was quiet again. “I still can’t believe Gavin’s still doing that. Does Dan know?”

Ray shrugged, a worried glint in his eyes. “I feel like he might, or maybe they just agreed on this for when they’re apart. I dunno. But, you never threatened Dan the way you threatened Moges. Why is that?”

With a sigh, Mark stood up and got himself a glass of water before speaking once more. “They knew each other since before me. I couldn’t just threaten him that way, he’d react very aggressively.”

“Please. Dan’s a puppy.”

“Be that as it may, he has a… Reputation.”

There was a heavy silence between them before they could even think of speaking up. Ray was the one to break it. “Mark, y’think you can come meet our boss tomorrow?”

The man blinked in confusion before he smiled and reached over to ruffle his brother’s hair. “Yeah, can do. No problem. I’ll even apologise to Mogar if you want me to.”

They laughed before the youngest stood, smiling softly. “Yeah, that’d be nice. Thanks, man.” They shared a tight hug before Ray left for his room, a tiredness in his bones even as he drank his red bull.

He opened his phone and hummed gently. _heard my brother talked to you_ He typed out. He stared at his phone, waiting for an answer as he sat on his bed. After a good half hour, Ray groaned and closed the device before setting it away and going back to his video games.

…

The next day was like any other, the only thing changing being the fact that Ray and Gavin were no longer alone in the apartment. Mark got up from the couch and ruffled their hair before making coffee. “Y’know, you could get a better apartment, right?”

“But Mark, why do that when you can save up for the best Xbox money can afford.” Was Ray’s argument as he lazily sat at the table with his DS. Gavin chuckled and shook his head gently to place his hair like he wanted it. Their older brother groaned in an annoyed tone but let them be. When breakfast, that Mark had insisted on making, was finally done, the three left for Gavin and Ray’s boss’ HQ. Mark obviously let Gavin drive, “because you have a fucking DEATHWISH, Mark, what the HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU,” Ray panicked as he tried to scramble out of the car.

They arrived to the mansion mostly intact, the youngest refusing to ever, ever let Gavin drive with him in the car again. Mark simply laughed it off as they headed inside. X-Ray and Vav went to Mad King’s office, soft grins on their faces and hoods on their heads. “Hey, boss,” the hispanic lad greeted, closing the doors behind them. 

Mogar rose from his seat awkwardly before going to them. “He has a meeting shortly, you really shouldn’t be here when it goes down.”

There was a short, loud knock on the king’s office door, making everyone look up, Michael letting out a strangled noise before making his way to the door. “Mister- Ah!” Michael let out a squeak at the sight of Mark, Wilford Warfstache, standing in the doorway, his cotton candy pink tuft of hair a slight mess.

“Heya, Mogar! Hey Mad King!” Mark walked into the room before Ray and Gavin hugged him, laughing softly into their brother’s chest. 

“Hey you two!! Aw, you’re so cute!! My adorable little brothers!” The eldest cooed happily, hugging them close and tightly.

“Hey, so, uh, Mad King, sorry for intruding. These two dragged me to work with them.” Michael stood to the side with wide, confused eyes, his mouth slightly agape.

Ryan groaned as he leaned back into his seat, pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes. “Warfstache. We’re rival crew leaders, you can’t be here when my partner gets here!” He stood up, then, looking exasperated. He’d known the man was Gavin’s brother because of the party, but this was weirder than he thought. He blinked as the elder of the three laughed softly.

“Nah, nah! No worries, you’re my brothers’ boss, I wouldn’t screw you over. Well, I would, but not while I’m on vacation. C’mon, I’ll sit in and play a game with these three, we’ll be quiet!”

“No you won’t be, I know you.” Mark laughed loudly, ruffling his brothers’ hair before letting out a soft whine. 

“C’moooooon, King. Just this once?”

Ray and Gavin turned to their boss with wide pleading eyes. “Please? We’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything fucking stupid.” Ray said, a hopeful undertone in his voice.

Gavin could practically feel the exasperation Ryan was showing, but finally the man relented. “Fine, whatever. It’s not like people will question you being here, you’re fucking everywhere.” The three brothers smiled at each other at that before sitting down in a corner of the office and taking out their DSs. Soft laughter came from their spot, hushed voices and hand movements Ryan didn’t quite understand. It wasn’t until Mark stood and gathered Michael up in his arms did the king just give up on understanding at all. 

“Hey, I’m sorry about how I threatened you and shit, Ray’s pretty fucking pissed at me for that, actually. And I didn’t mean to scare you that bad? I just really care about my brothers. A lot.” Michael blinked before he awkwardly hugged the man back and was dragged to his friend and boyfriend. Ray dragged him down on his lap before Michael could complain. They spoke so much they didn’t even realise that the Mad King’s business meeting had started, Mark not even eavesdropping once. The problem occurred when dinner time rolled around.

“So, I’ll be taking you two out, my treat, alright?” Though Gavin and Ray looked excited about it, Mogar was pouting while the Mad King glared pointedly at the car keys in Mark’s hand. “You two can… Tag along, I guess.” He seemed annoyed with the idea, but at the smiles the younger two gave him, he decided it was worth it.

The Mad King left for a few minutes before coming back dressed in jeans and a dark tee, boots that looked worn and torn in places but otherwise seemed sturdy and comfortable enough. Something in Gavin’s head flicked at the sight, but he ignored it in favour to steal Mark’s keys and laugh as Ray chased him for them. They somehow managed to all pile together in one car with Mogar driving, Ray in the passenger seat, looking outside.

Gavin was sat between Mark, at his right, and Ryan, at his left. Mark stared at the Mad King, looking him up and down, nervousness in his system as he did so. He couldn’t help but think of the Vagabond, the black skull, the mad mercenary. He snorted. If they were the same then the title sure didn’t change. He gripped his shirt over the scars caused by the Vagabond on his stomach years before, looking outside. “So, hey, Mad King, you’ve been around for a long while, right? Got any ideas as to how the Vagabond disappeared?”

Mark noticed the king stiffen in his seat, but otherwise there was no reaction from him. "I'm not sure. I heard he died from one person, and another said he left the country. I heard from another that he just got tired and stopped. What do you think?" He asked, obviously just trying to keep the conversation going out of politeness. 

"I'm not sure, but honestly? I don't think a man like that would ever just get tired and stop. I think he'd find another way to get everything that he needed done done. And I don't think he would just roll over and die either." Mark replied. "I've heard people saying they've seen him around, but I don't think what they're seeing is actually him, because apparently he's been just mugging a ton of people. I think we all know that person's really just an impostor trying to scare their way into a quick buck." 

The king just shrugged at that, and stiffened further. Mark looked him over for a moment, turning away quickly when he saw Gavin's hand lightly running over the Mad King's thigh with a smirk on his face. "Hey, look, we're here. Can we stop with all this dark talk and eat?" Michael piped up from the front seat as they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. At that point they all piled out and headed inside, Mark deciding to keep an eye on the Mad King.


	7. Chapter 7

At the restaurant, Ryan sat down calmly, quickly noting the way Mark tried to sit between him and Gavin and when he was unsuccessful made a point of sitting on the other side of him. He was confused as to why, but if he was completely honest, he didn't really care as long as the other didn't ask anymore questions about the Vagabond. For years he'd done his best to try to put the Vagabond behind him, because that wasn't who he was anymore, he was the Mad King of Achievia City. No longer did he roam the streets taking money from crews who needed someone gone, no longer created chaos just for the adrenaline rush, no longer doing the bidding of anyone with cash. He ran on respect instead of fear now, and the Vagabond was someone of the past.

Of course, it only took him minutes to realize why Warfstache had asked about the old esteemed merc. When he wasn't wearing the kilt he'd grown fond of wearing and was in his street clothes, it was similar to how he looked back in the day, mostly because they were the same clothes (because why throw out clothes if you can still use them?), but also he suddenly recognized the younger man. He hadn't before, because now he was much older, more built, and of course the pink hair, but Ryan remembered that night clearly.

One of the last jobs he did before he 'killed' the Vagabond and began making a name as the Mad King, he was sent out on a job to take out an up-and-comer who was encroaching on a crew's territory. To his dismay, he found a kid standing there, younger than eighteen from the looks of it, but because he was being paid he had to at least rough the kid up. By the end, he had driven him to the hospital and threw him on the pavement in front of it while he bled out from several lacerations on his stomach and various other places. He still felt terrible about it today, and realizing just who Warfstache was brought all of those feelings right up to the surface once more.

His mind was quickly brought back to the present as he felt a hand running up his thigh once more, and he looked over at Gavin with a raise of his eyebrow and a small smirk. When he saw the same look on the other's face that had been there just the night before, his smirk grew. His head snapped up at he heard X-Ray's voice from across the table. "So, what're we all getting? I think we should get something to share."

"That's because you're cheap as hell, X-Ray. Your idea of fancy eating is _DENNY'S_ , for cripes sake!" Gavin laughed, pulling his free hand up to look at the menu.

"Vav, c'mon, WAFFLE-O man." X-Ray replied, rolling his eyes. "No need to be so _rude_ about it."

"Hey, I think it's a great idea, X-Ray." Mogar piped up, smiling at the other man before looking over the menu.

"I said I'd pay, so get whatever you want." Warfstache told them. "I can afford whatever any of you get." As Ryan looked over the menu, he let one hand fall under the table, running his fingers lightly over the skin of Gavin's wrist, which caused the other to move his hand higher up his thigh and give it a squeeze. He moved his fingers to trace over Gavin's hand before slowly moving it up a little higher to where it was almost over his crotch, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the younger smirk once more. "So Vav!" Warfstache clapped his hand, making them both jolt and look over at him. "How's Wolfie doing? I haven't heard from him in awhile."

"Oh, he's good last time I heard. Him and his partner are somewhere overseas right now though, I think." Gavin responded with a shrug.

"So, what, you guys haven't talked recently?" Warfstache asked, and Ryan frowned when he noticed the slightly-pointed tone he held as he spoke.

"No, not really. Why, is that a hint that I should give him a call?" He asked, snickering.

"You should give him a call, I wanna know what's been going on with him." X-Ray said from the other side of the table, pulling Mogar in close with an arm that was wrapped around his side. "Also, I know what I want. I want the nacho platter."

Ryan rolled his eyes at that, letting his own hand wander over to Gavin's lap, smiling as the other seemed to melt into the hand currently splayed on his upper thigh. He gave Gavin's thigh a squeeze in return for the one he was given earlier, and quickly took it back as a waitress walked over to take their orders, and he smiled brightly as Gavin pouted next to him. They all gave their orders to the waitress, handing her back the menus as she ran off to go put them in.

"Hey Vav, you should tell Wolfie he should get back to the states, I kinda wanna see him again." Warfstache hummed, leaning back in his seat as he looked at the younger.

Ryan let out a small cough as he felt Gavin's hand land right on his crotch under the table, giving him teasing squeezes as he gave his answer. "I think him and his partner are supposed to be back in town next month, but I'll give him a call and tell him you wanna see him. How much longer will you be here?" Gavin asked innocently, as if his hand wasn't between Ryan's legs underneath the table.

"I'll be here a bit longer, I'm here on vacation after all, and after that there's...a little business I'd like to attend to, but that won't be for a little while, I think. I still have to decide if it's worth it or not." Warfstache responded, flicking his eyes to Ryan for a moment before continuing. "But yeah, I'd like to see your guy again." Ryan noticed the words 'your guy' were a bit stressed, but he didn't really care at the moment as he wrapped his hand lightly around Gavin's wrist under the table, encouraging him on.

This continued on until they got their food, at which point both of them finally put their hands on the table as they ate. The talk through the meal was kept to small talk, and after they were finished, both Gavin’s and Ryan’s hands were under the table once more, continuing what Gavin had begun earlier.

Soon after their meal had finished, either Ryan or Gavin would open their mouth to suggest leaving, but they were quickly cut off from either Mark or Ray. “Hey, so--” Gavin began for the fifth time, only to have Ray shove his phone into his face.

“Vav, VAV, get a load of that dog. It’s like a fucking loaf of bread on stubby feet! Vav, we need one.” Ray said excitedly, making Michael and Mark laugh.

“X-Ray, we’re not getting a dachshund. We’re never home!” Gavin let out in a frustrated tone, only making the other two laugh harder.

“C’mon, Vav.” Mark butted in, leaning across Ryan in order to grab his shoulder, disconnecting the two. “You guys should get one, it’d be cute as hell.”

“Or a pug. C’mon, Vav, please?” Ray pleaded, pouting.

Gavin sighed as he popped in a piece of gum, popping loudly as he chewed. “We’re never home, it wouldn’t be taken care of properly.” He told Ray, scowling.

Ray finally relented with a sigh, reaching into his pocket. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to go. I want a cigarette and I can’t smoke in this place.” He said, flagging down a waitress for Mark.

Gavin’s face lit up at that, smiling softly as he reached his hand over once more to rest on Ryan’s thigh, running his thumb over it gently. When Mark finally paid, he shot out of his seat eagerly, quickly heading out as everyone else filed out behind him. When he got to the car, he got in quickly and slid all the way over...only to find Mark sitting next to him instead of Ryan as he had hoped.

He huffed silently, looking out the window through the whole ride and ignoring the light conversation around him. When they finally got back to the mansion, he quickly spoke up. “Uh, I think I’ve got some business I still need to go over with King, so I’ll meet you guys back at the apartment later, yeah?” Gavin said quickly, waiting for Mogar to unlock the doors. He noticed Ray in the front seat looking confused, but before he could say anything Mogar spoke up.

“I’ve never been to your place, X-Ray. Would you mind if I came back with you and Warfstache?” He asked with a smile, distracting Ray as Gavin quickly opened the door.

Before he closed the door, he heard Ray from the front seat. “Yes! That’d be great, I’ll show you the Xbone that me and Gavin saved up for, bUT ACCORDING TO WILF, THERE, IS A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY. He’s a prick, it’s an awesome limited edition one, it was totally worth the money. See you later, Vav!” Ray said, waving back as Gavin shut the door once more, and Mogar drove off. 


	8. Chapter 8

When they made it inside of the mansion, Gavin followed after Ryan, who was heading upstairs like he was on a mission. After a bit, they reached the door to a room that Ryan immediately opened, turning back to tug Gavin inside. He didn't even get a chance to look around the room before he was slammed up against the door by Ryan, who proceeded to crush their mouths together. Gavin's immediately made their way to Ryan's pants, undoing the button and zipper quickly before beginning to pull them down.

Ryan's mouth made it's way down his jaw and his neck as skilled fingers began to pull up on Gavin's shirt, smiling as he pulled away to throw the shirt off. Gavin grinned back as he began pulling up Ryan's shirt as well while they were separated, immediately pulling him close as the shirt fell to the ground. "Damn, do you look good in jeans. I think I prefer the skirt though." He put a little emphasis on the skirt part, knowing it would rile Ryan up. His hands scrambled with his jeans for a moment, pulling them off quickly as Ryan's lips crashed back down onto his. 

"It's a kilt." Ryan growled against Gavin's lips as his hands grabbed onto the backs of Gavin's thighs, pulling him up as they stood against the door. Gavin gasped as he threw his arms around Ryan's neck, tugging on his lower lip.

Ryan pulled them away from the door, walking them over to the wall by the bed before pressing Gavin up against it as well, nearly knocking over a lamp on the side table in the process. Gavin pressed his hips down against Ryan's as the other held him against the wall, drawing a small moan from his lips. Gavin moved his head down, biting into Ryan's shoulder and sucking a mark there as he moved his hips, a hand reaching down to grab Ryan's ass. "Just had to tease while at dinner with my brothers." He purred, licking the mark he'd created in Ryan's shoulder.

Ryan huffed, smirking as he pressed some sloppy kisses against Gavin's jaw. "You started it, so don't even. This is your fault." He grumbled heatedly, hooking a finger into Gavin's boxer briefs. 

"Mm, true." Gavin chuckled as Ryan moved away from the wall, dropping him onto the bed. "But it got me into your bed, didn't it?" He smiled, lifting his hips as Ryan pulled off his boxer briefs. 

"Oh, was that your goal?" Ryan murmured as he turned back to the side table briefly, pulling out lube and a condom from the drawer. 

"Really, I just wanted to see what your room looked like. It's very nice, quite cozy. I like it. The red color scheme really suits you." Gavin hummed as he looked around the room. 

Ryan rolled his eyes, raising an eyebrow. "If all you want to do is talk about the color scheme in my bedroom, the door's right there, maybe you should go on through it and check out the rest of the house as well." 

Gavin squeaked, planting his hands on Ryan's shoulders. "Aww, don't be like that, you've already got me all hot and bothered. Might as well finish the job since we're here, yeah?" Gavin waggled his eyebrows, making Ryan roll his eyes once more as he stepped out of his own underwear. 

Gavin popped the cap on the lube as Ryan loomed over him once more, grinning as he took the other's hand and poured it over his fingers. He spread his legs, pulling Ryan's face down for a kiss as his hand guided Ryan's hand between them, tugging on his hair. Gavin gasped as a finger pushed into him, tightening his grip on Ryan's hair. Gavin bit his lip as Ryan grinned down at him, keeping his motions slow to tease Gavin. He smirked as he used the hand in Ryan's hair to mess it up, wondering what it looked like when it wasn't a huge mess. 

Ryan didn't even seem to care as he slowly added another finger, his eyes darkening as Gavin let out a moan and pushed his hips against the fingers. It wasn't long before there was another finger added, and then they were removed, but only moments later he groaned as Ryan slid into him, biting into his neck as he did. "Bloody hell, King..." Gavin murmured in Ryan's ear, tugging on the lobe with his teeth as the other's teeth sunk deeper into his neck.

Ryan's thrusts started out slow, but after a few encouraging jerks of Gavin's hips, the other began speeding up his thrusts, eliciting a loud moan from Gavin's lips. "Mmm, sound so pretty like this." Ryan purred, making Gavin chuckle before moaning once more. 

"You would know, right?" He teased, digging his nails into Ryan's back, dragging them down. "God, harder, faster." He breathed, throwing his head back to expose more of his neck for Ryan. The other bit down sharply under his jaw as he deepened his thrusts, gripping Gavin's hips securely as he sped up as well. "Goddamn, Rye!" Gavin cried out, reaching a hand down to grab Ryan's ass, encouraging him on. "So good, don't stop." 

It stayed like that for awhile, the two of them shoving against each other roughly as they created marks on each others' skin. After some time though, Gavin's back arched and he let out a cry as he came, his hands scrambling for purchase against Ryan's skin. Not long after that, Ryan let out a throaty growl as he came as well, tugging Gavin into each thrust. He collapsed next to Gavin on the bed, pulling off the condom before tying it off, throwing it in the general direction of the trash can. 

Once they'd cleaned up and settled back down, Ryan expected Gavin to grab his clothes and leave, but instead he was surprised to find the other making no move to get off the bed. In fact, he shifted closer to Ryan, curling into his side as he yawned. "Too tired to drive anywhere, you mind?" Gavin asked as he nuzzled into Ryan, closing his eyes. 

Ryan just shook his head, running his hand through Gavin's hair awkwardly as the man fell asleep against him.

...

Nights were something Ryan couldn’t deal with very well, honestly. Even after all of the excitement and the gentle soreness in his bones, he still couldn’t sleep. Gavin was curled up against his chest, happily sleeping away, but Ryan simply stared at the wall, thinking. If Wilford really was catching onto who he used to be- the Vagabond, the Mad Mercenary -then he’d need to deal with this quickly. Killing the man, however, would definitely end in war and with Gavin and X-Ray leaving or killing him without mercy. Revenge was, after all, the sweetest of sins. He should know.

He wrapped an arm around the lad next to him, pulling him closer simply to have something to ground him. Someone had taken up the skull, Ryan snorted at the thought. He’d need to have a chat with them, but now was not the time. The silence stretched on for a few hours, leaving Ryan in a half-conscious state. It wasn’t until a phone started ringing loudly from somewhere on the floor, did both he and Gavin sit up in alarm. The lad moved across the room swiftly, not saying a word to Ryan as he picked up his phone. “What’s up?”

“Where are you? It’s three in the morning!” The gent relaxed as he heard Wilford’s exasperated and worried voice. He raised an eyebrow, however, at how the lad seemed to brighten simply at that, already more awake than he had been. He got distracted by Gavin’s naked ass, however, and smirked as he looked at it.

“Ah, well, I finished my business with the King. And then I went to the bar since X-Ray and Mogar were hanging out, but then I went home with some bloke. Don’t worry about it, I’ll see you in the morning.” 

The gent didn’t hear much else other than Gavin’s soft noises of approval and then the end of the call. “Need to leave?”

The brit turned to him, something mischievous shining in his eyes before he let his phone fall and crawled back into bed, straddling Ryan comfortably. “Nah. Don’t even worry about it.” He said with a grin, leaning down to press an eager kiss to Ryan's lips.

...

The next morning, Gavin was already gone when Ryan awoke. Not that it was a problem, he had things to get prepared for the day. He picked up his phone and dialed Geoff's number as he got dressed, smiling as the other answered. "Hello?"

"Ramsey! I saw you called last night, so I figured I'd call back. Sorry, I got a little caught up with things last night." Ryan greeted cheerfully, messing with his kilt. 

"Oh, that's fine. I got a call last night from some of my contacts in the police, and it looks like one of the Corpirate's men is in the police force now. He's far from his territory, meaning that the Corpirate's making a move on our turf. Think you could take the guy down for me? I don't want to expose my guys." 

Ryan grinned as he listened, finally having found a new job for his new hires. "I've got the perfect people. Leave it up to me, Geoff."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Michigan, I will be writing the next few chapters for awhile (under Jackal's supervision, of course) because Jackal's feeling a bit sick, and I want him to get better. He did help with some of the writing of this, but it'll be mostly me, sorry! <3


	9. Chapter 9

Gavin was sitting upon a crate in some small storage room while Ray tried talking, rather roughly, to the man tied to a chair. “Listen here, _asshole_ , my partner over there is gonna let me do whatever I want to you. I can be pretty creative, y’know? So tell me, what the _fuck_ does the Corpirate want?” There was a short silence and then the man before X-Ray spoke.

The man before them looked off into the distance, his eyes glazing over before he spoke. “Of all the doors to all the crooked detectives they could have stumbled through, these two decided to stumble through mine. Now, I’m in a bit of a predicament. You see, I have no real info on the Corpirate to share with them, no new messages sent my way, and now I fear I may be in deep trouble for it.”  
  
Ray and Gavin looked at each other, confused all to hell. “Is he...is he trying to break the fourth wall? What the fuck is with this guy?” Ray asked, obviously getting angrier by the second.

“I tried to think back to any information I had for them, but I knew I had to stay loyal. My ties are with the Corpirate, and I couldn’t bring myself to change just to save my ass.”

“Okay, this guy is useless.” Gavin sighed, bringing a hand over his face.

The guy before them seemed to snap back into their world, looking up at Ray. “I don’t know anything about what the Corpirate is up to, and I don’t think I can help you.”

Ray sighed, pulling out a transcript of messages between the guy and the Corpirate, found by one of Ramsey’s men. “So you don’t remember these vague messages here?” Ray asked, shoving them in the man’s face.

The guy’s face once more glazed over, and Ray immediately dropped the paper and sighed, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “I knew when I saw those messages that they had more information than I thought, and I remembered the conversation between myself and my boss. Of course, they didn’t have what they needed, so I was still in the clear for now.”

“Seriously, how does he do his job properly? God, I swear everyone knows he’s crooked from the way he’s always running his mouth like that.” Gavin huffed, popping a piece of gum into his mouth.

“I have nothing to tell you, you’re just using fake documents to get me to talk.” The guy snarled, and Ray only sighed.

“So, Mr. What’s-Your-Face—”

“The name’s Coal, Flynt Coal.” Coal muttered, glaring up at Ray.

Another sigh. “Mr. Coal, you’re saying you have no information whatsoever?” Ray asked as he took a drag from his cigarette.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Coal said, looking up at Ray innocently.

Ray turned his gaze to Gavin, and Gavin only smiled and nodded in return. He watched as Ray took the cigarette from his mouth, grabbing Coal’s hair to hold him in place as he put out the cigarette in the man’s eye, causing him to scream.

“Are you really sure about that, Flynt?” Gavin asked over the screams, nodding again at Ray as he took the cigarette off of the man’s eye, throwing the crushed thing onto the floor.

He gave him time to catch his breath, let Coal think about his answer through the pain. The man looked off to the side again, and Ray threw up his arms as he turned away. “I knew I had to keep my mouth shut, because I couldn’t let them know what the Corpirate’s end game was. I couldn’t risk the wrath of him again, and I couldn’t let them win.” His gaze turned back to Ray once more, unable to turn his head to look at Gavin. “I told you two, I have nothing to offer. I can do this all day.”

“Good, because we have all day.” Ray said as he turned around once more, this time with a hammer that he swung down on Coal’s fingers, and Gavin heard the bones crack from where he was sat. This went on for almost twenty minutes, Ray and Gavin asking questions and getting no answers from the man, other than vague speakings about what was going on whenever Coal narrated what was going through his head. Finally, Ray pulled up a chair, setting it backwards in front of Coal before he took a seat, lighting a cigarette before draping his arms over the back of it. “Alright, I’m gonna ask you one last time. What is the Corpirate’s end game? What’s he going through all this trouble of hiring mercenaries and making shady deals with weapon’s dealers?”

Coal sighed as he looked up at them, and then turned his gaze away once more. “I couldn’t help but think of all of this as my failure, for I had reached the end of the rainbow and there was no pot of gold. I couldn’t help but think that all of this had been because I put too much faith in myself, that I had thought I would never be caught. But of course, here I am, tied to a chair with nothing ahead of me. I had no business being on the Corpirate’s payroll, had no business being an eye for him. I had no right knowing his plans, and I know I have no right to be here when the Corpirate’s plan of taking a piece of Achievia for himself is completed. I was going down here, but at least I could keep my mouth shut for him.” Ray and Gavin looked at each other then, smiling, for they had just gotten the information they needed. They knew the Corpirate’s end game, and now the ball was in their court. “I’ll never say a word, I’ll never tell you the Corpirate’s goals.”

Gavin began laughing when he heard that statement, finally rising from the crate he was sat upon as he pulled out his knife. “Oh, buddy, you just did.” Ray chuckled, watching as Gavin came up behind the man.

Just as Gavin had grabbed a fistful of Coal’s hair, the doors to the storage room opened, revealing three figures. Mogar was the first to step through, stepping aside. “Uh, cops are here for you two?” He said in a confused voice as Joel and Burnie had made their way into the room.

“BURNIE!!!” Gavin yelled in excitement, immediately thrusting his blade into Coal’s neck several times. On the last time, he twisted the knife, enjoying the small sound that squeaked through Flynt’s mouth as he died.

Burnie laughed as he heard Gavin, just watching him. “Didn’t know you were busy Vav, I would’ve dropped by a little later.”

"Nah, you're good. Just finishing up some work here." Gavin shrugged as Ray ran over to Joel.

"Joel, it's great to see you pal! Joel, look at this, I fucking put out a cigarette in this asshole's eye. He barely even cared after I was done, fucking prick. He was a fucking weirdo." 

Joel seemed impressed by the work, but Gavin noticed the way Joel was looking at him. He smirked, but turned back to his conversation with Burnie. "So what's up? Did you guys need something?" 

"Well, the Mad King wanted to have us check on your progress. I assume you got what you needed?" Burnie asked as the gestured to Flynt's body. 

Gavin nodded, grinning. "We got what we needed. Mogar and X-Ray are gonna take care of the body while I go see the King. We're on top of this, Burnie."

"Well, good. I got everyone lunch on the way here, by the way. Chinese take out, these bags are for you, Mogar, and X-Ray. Make sure you make the time to eat this before you take care of the body? I'll make sure no one's around to catch you guys, don't worry." Burnie winked, turning back to Joel. "Alright, we're done here, we should head out. I think dispatch sent in a call right before we got here, some domestic dispute a few blocks over." 

Joel nodded, and Gavin chuckled at the way he saw Ray pout at the news. He took the bags from Burnie and shook them at Ray and Mogar, making Ray's eyes light up once more and Mogar look at them in a confused manner. "Alright, we should head out. I'll see you later, Ray." Joel smiled as he turned and left. 

Before Burnie followed him out, he turned back to Gavin. "Oh yeah, how's Wolfie doing? I've been meaning to ask." 

"He's good." Gavin frowned, getting the thought in his head that maybe something was wrong. All month he'd been hearing everyone ask about him, and now he was starting to get the idea that something was wrong. "I'll give him a call later, I'll let you know then." 

"Alright, you do that. I'll see you guys later, take care of yourselves!" Burnie waved at the two before he left, leaving Gavin, Ray, and Mogar to delve into the food that had been brought to them.


	10. Chapter 10

Ryan had called Geoff after the news he heard from Gavin when he had returned from his 'interrogation' with Coal, and neither of them had been particularly please when they heard that the Corpirate's goal was to take them down and take the city for himself. Of course, not long after the phone call, his mind was taken off of the problem when Gavin had bent him over the edge of his bed. Now that they'd finished up and Gavin was in the bathroom making a phone call, his mind drifted back to it. Of course it was terrible that the Corpirate was trying to take the city he and Geoff had fought so hard for, but now they just needed to work out a plan to take him down first. 

Right now, his problem was finding another gun for hire. He'd already made a call to someone he knew would be able to hold their own, someone he'd always liked working with. Now, he needed someone else, and between him and Geoff, he knew they were getting low on their list of available mercenaries, especially since some of them had already been hired by the Corpirate. He sighed as he stood up, wrapping his kilt around himself before he began heading from the room. On his way out though, he heard Gavin's voice coming through the door of the bathroom. 

"So you're doing okay?" He heard him ask, and even though he knew he shouldn't be listening in, he figured he'd stay for a couple minutes longer. "That's good...me? I'm doing alright, no need to worry about me. So you're flying out tomorrow? That'll be awesome." Ryan couldn't hear the voice on the other end, but he knew it had to be someone Gavin knew well. "Aww, that's great! Well, I better let you pack. I can't wait for lunch tomorrow, I'm so excited. I'll see you around noon-ish?" At the last part, Ryan quickly left the room, slamming the door behind him. 

Something in the way Gavin had talked about getting lunch with the other person on the phone made his skin crawl. It'd sounded like he was excited for a date, and Ryan's stomach twisted as he thought about it. Until now, he'd just been using Gavin for sex, just like the other had been doing. Now though, he realized there was something more to it, there was feelings in play. He hadn't even realized that he was going down that path, and this time he felt them, he could only think about how he'd fucked things up before they'd even really began. The last time he'd felt like this had been hard enough, but now? Now he knew he didn't really have a chance with Gavin, that maybe there was really nothing there on Gavin's end. 

...

"Oh no..." Gavin muttered as he heard a door slam, his stomach turning. 

"What? What happened, Gav?" Dan asked from the other end, and Gavin's attention snapped back to the phone. 

"Nothing, just, I think R-- that the King heard a bit of that. The door just slammed. I don't know what happened, though." 

Dan clicked his tongue on the other end of the phone, and Gavin rolled his eyes. "Maybe he heard you talking to me about fucking him, and he didn't like it. Or maybe he doesn't like the idea of you talking to another man?" Dan joked, and when there was silence on Gavin's end, he continued. "Seriously though, maybe he actually does like you though. I mean, if he didn't, he wouldn't have kept fucking you all this time, right? And besides, I know you like him. If you didn't you would have moved on, or have never even started the whole thing. Maybe you just need to talk to him?" Dan suggested. 

Gavin sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I don't even think he's capable of regular human emotions, maybe he was just angry over something work related, I'm not sure. But, maybe I should talk to him." Gavin paused for a moment, biting his lip. "I do like him, though. I really like him, and not just because he looks great in the skirt he's always wearing. He's just got something about him that just kind of draws me to him, I guess." 

Dan chuckled on the other end of the phone. "Well, then talk to him. If it's not work related, maybe it's because of that. I hope things go well, B. I gotta go though, Jon's here now and I gotta tell him I'm heading off." 

Gavin chuckled back, grinning. "Tell Jon I said hi! I can't wait to meet him in person, by the way. When will that be?" He asked. 

"Sometime soon, hopefully. I'll talk to you later, B!" 

"I'll talk to you later, B." Gavin chuckled again as he hung up this phone, the chuckle dissipating as he thought back to Ryan. He stood up then, heading back into the empty room. He pulled on his jeans and placed his phone into his pocket before he headed out and down the stairs, going to look for Ryan. He eventually found him in the kitchen, and he smiled to see him leaning over a can of diet coke. Gavin wrapped his arms around Ryan's waist, nuzzling into the back of his shoulder. "What's up?" He asked, ignoring the way Ryan stiffened at his touch. 

Ryan let out a sigh, not even looking back at Gavin as he spoke. "Nothing." He muttered.

Gavin's heart dropped a bit, knowing now it couldn't be work related. If it was, he would have said so. "Well, you wanna order some takeout? We should definitely eat something, I'm famished." He hummed, kissing Ryan's shoulder. Usually when he'd began to become a little more affectionate with Ryan, Ryan seemed to unconsciously lean into it, or he'd just never acknowledge it. The way he pulled away from it this time, though, made Gavin's heart twinge painfully in his chest. "Seriously, what's wrong? You've gotten all weird on me." Gavin asked as he pulled away to stand next to Ryan, looking up at him. "Is this because of the phone call? Did you hear some of it?" 

Ryan looked away at that, just bringing the can up to his lips. When he didn't say a word, Gavin just laid a hand on his arm, smiling up at Ryan. 

"Look, if you're worried at all, don't be. One of my old friends is gonna be in town for the first time for awhile, and I'm gonna meet him for lunch. Nothing to worry about." Gavin told him, though his smile dropped a bit as Ryan finally turned his way, a look of jealousy on his face. 

"Just a friend?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know, if I'm the 'other' guy here, it's best to let me know. I'd like to add it to the list of accomplishments I've made in this life." He joked, though the way he was looking at Gavin spoke for itself. 

Gavin chuckled at that, bringing a hand up to curl around the back of Ryan's neck. "Like I said, no need to worry about it." He smiled wider as he pulled Ryan down, giving him a soft kiss. He'd been meaning to do something like this for a week now, after he'd realized that he wasn't just in it for the amazing sex, but also because Ryan was an amazing man. So, he made sure to let all of his emotions flow into the kiss, hoping that Ryan understood.

Just as their kiss had begun to deepen, Gavin's phone began going off, making them both groan. "Just let it go to voicemail." Ryan grumbled, kissing Gavin again. 

"Mm, I can't, love, what if it's X-Ray and he needs my help with something?" He smiled, pulling away to grab his phone from his trousers. "Hello?" He answered. 

"Gavin!" Mark yelled from the other end, leaving Gavin sighing. 

"Wilf, what's up?" He asked, sitting up on the counter and letting a hand run through Ryan's hair. 

He heard Mark sigh on the other end of the phone before he answered. "Let me guess, you're doing business with the King right now? Well, anyways, I'm gonna be coming back into town. The King's asked me and one of my...well, he's not really my friend, more like my rival, but he's pretty cool. The point is, we're gonna be coming into town, and we're bringing a couple friends. Our friends are gonna be put up in a hotel, but I wanted to stay with you guys, and my rival wants to join me to keep an eye on me. Mind if I bring someone else over?"

"Sure, especially since X-Ray bought a new sectional. There's more than enough room on the couch for the both of you. Maybe not enough room in the living room though..." 

Mark laughed at that, then huffed. "He's got a new huge ass couch, but you guys still won't get a bigger apartment? Let me guess, it's a good investment because it's comfier to sit on your ass when you're playing a game? Nevermind, I've gotta give him a call to give him a heads up, I'll let you get back to your meeting." 

"Alright, I'll talk to you later. Bye, Wilf!" Gavin said before he quickly hung up, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "So, where were we again?" Gavin asked, then grinned. "Oh yeah, I remember now." He smiled, pulling Ryan back in for another kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

Jon watched as Dan packed his bags, biting his tongue to keep the words from his mouth. “I’ll only be gone for a couple of weeks, it’ll be like any other job.” Dan assured him, but Jon knew that if he was going to do a job with the King that there’d be some sort of risk to the other’s life, and that worried him. 

“I know.” He said instead of expressing his worries. “You’ll be fine I’m sure. And I’ll wait for your call.” He smiled somberly back, tearing his eyes away from the bags. 

After a moment a hand was on his jaw, gently tilting his head up to look at Dan’s smiling face. “Hey, don’t worry that little head of yours. You know me, I’ll be fine. Just like always.” Dan murmured, kissing his forehead.

Jon sighed as he closed his eyes, bringing his arms up to wrap around Dan’s waist. “I know, I know. Still doesn’t keep me from worrying. Last time you worked in that area you came back with a gunshot in your stomach.” He mumbled. 

“And what did you do? You took care of me and made sure I was alright. This time I’ll be fine, I’ll have plenty of back up. King said that he’s made a few hires since last time, and they’re pretty good. So I’ll come back to you in one piece.” Dan assured him. “If you want to come along, I know King’s putting me up, I’m sure he’d let you stay--”

“No, no it’s fine.” Jon smiled back, his heart racing and his stomach churning at the idea of being back there at that mansion. The last time hadn’t gone so well. “Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you.” Jon pulled Dan down for a kiss, holding him close for a moment before letting Dan get back to it.

“Only two weeks.” Dan repeated as he zipped up one of his bags. “Then I’ll be back, and we can go back to galavanting around Paris, or wherever else you want to go.” 

“Aww, how sweet Wolfie.” Jon laughed, sitting back more on the bed. “You should hurry up, you don’t want to miss your flight. Say hello to everyone I know for me.” Jon grinned. 

Dan laughed back, walking back over and kissing the top of Jon’s head. “You know I will.” He told him, kissing Jon one last time. “Two weeks, I’ll see you then. I’ll call you when I get off the plane, yeah?” Dan said, picking up his bag. “Goodbye, love.” 

“Goodbye.” Jon waved, his smile dropping the moment Dan shut the door. He kept listening until he heard the hotel room go silent, then he dropped down so he was lying on the bed. His eyes shut, and he remembered his time with the King, and even remembered the days before he became the King, and he was just the cold and chaotic Vagabond. He had every reason to worry, Dan just didn’t realize why. 

As much as Dan’s reputation was almost as dangerous as the Vagabond’s was, he’d be no match if the King decided to dispose of him. Jon knew this from experience, and it was one of the reasons he had to leave Ryan.

...

Michael sighed as he headed up the stairs, Burnie trailing close behind him. Ray had successfully caught the attention of Joel, and the two were climbing the stairs a lot slower than he and Burnie. "I think Gavin's in talking to the King, I can get him for you." Michael said as they reached the top, stopping in front of the King's office. He knocked before he quickly opened the door, poking his head in. "Hey Vav, there's cops here for--wHOA HOLY SHIT." Michael yells, quickly slamming the door and leaning against it. His face was beet red as he turned back to Burnie, and now Joel and Ray, all of which were staring at him with very confused faces. "Uh, uh, might wanna give them ten minutes? Or maybe twenty. How about you two head back downstairs, there's good in the kitchen, help yourselves! I'll come get you when they're not busy." Michael rambled as he pushed Burnie and Joel back to the stairs once more. 

Once they were heading down the stairs, Ray poked Michael in the side, making him turn around. "Hey Moges, what's going on?" He asked, his eyes flicking towards the door. 

Michael's face drained, and he immediately began tugging Ray down the hall. "Dude, I just opened the door, expecting them to be talking like usual, right? Or, more like Ryan talking and Gavin nodding. Anyways, uh, this time, they were in a...more compromising position?" 

"What the fuck does that mean?" Ray asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. 

"Okay, by compromising position, I mean the King had Vav bent over the desk and they were both pretty much naked. It's something I never want to see again, and I need eye bleach." 

Ray's face drained with color, and he immediately pulled out his phone. "Jesus Christ, what the fuck is Vav doing?" He muttered, dialing a number on his phone. When the other person picked up, Ray sighed into the phone. "Wilf, uh, we have a problem?" There was a pause, and then Ray brought a hand up to pinch his nose. "Well, uh, Mogar may have just walked in on Vav and the King fucking?" 

Ray pulled the phone away from his face as he heard yelling. "I FUCKING KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT!" 

"YOU KNEW!? WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TELL US!?" Ray yelled back, making Michael hold a finger up to his mouth. 

"BECAUSE I WASN'T TOTALLY SURE BUT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GOING ON! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU THINK I TOLD YOU TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON HIM?" 

"I didn't think it was because of that!" Ray muttered, sighing as he put the phone back up to his ear. "Man, I gotta tell Wolfie. I'll see you tonight, we'll talk to Vav about this later." Ray hung up, and then began dialing the phone once more. "Wolfie? Hey man, I uh, I got some news for you...uh, Vav may be...involved with the Mad King?" He said, looking over to Michael, who only stared back in confusion. He'd been hearing whisperings between him and Wilford about some Wolfie guy, but he still knew absolutely nothing about the man, other than he knew there was something between Vav and him. "YOU KNEW TOO!? WHAT THE FUCK WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME! HOW ARE YOU EVEN OKAY WITH THIS?? AREN'T YOU TWO TOGETHER??" He asked loudly, but then he froze for a moment. "Wait wait wait, so there's nothing between you two? Seriously? And you're dating someone else? Jesus, I'm so out of the loop. Uh, well, listen, I guess I'll just...see you later?" Ray quickly hung up the phone again, sighing as he leaned against Michael. 

"So, how'd that go?" Michael asked as he began running his hand through Ray's messy hair. 

"Very awkwardly." Ray mumbled, bringing his head back up as Vav walked out of the office, trying to fix his hair. Vav stopped when he saw the two at the end of the hall, staring that them. 

"Uh, hey guys?" He smiled awkwardly at the two, and Michael held Ray back as he tried to surge forward. "Uh, I'm just...gonna go see Burnie and Joel. I'll uh, talk to you later." Vav mumbled, quickly heading down the stairs away from Ray and Michael.

Michael sighed, keeping a hold on Ray. "Dude, just let him go for now. You can talk to him later, don't worry. Calm down first, then go talk to him about how he didn't tell you what was going on and how we were too stupid to notice." Michael kissed Ray's cheek as he pulled him closer, doing his best to calm down the man. 

Ray sighed as he finally melted against Michael. "Yeah, I guess so. Either way, we still need to go meet Ramsey and Pattillo, so we should probably head out. We'll leave Vav alone for now, and you can chill out. Also, let's not tell Ramsey about any of this, I don't think he needs this on his plate, not with the Corpirate looming a threat above us." 

"I hadn't dreamed of it." Michael replied, quickly pulling Ray in for a kiss before he finally released him, taking his hand and leading him down the stairs once more.


	12. Chapter 12

Dan stepped out of the airport and waved a cab down, making his way to the King’s residence by foot after stepping out of the vehicle a few streets away. Once at the mansion, he was led inside by henchmen and showed to his current employer’s office. What he didn’t expect was for Gavin to open the door and let out a loud squawk.

Dan expected the hug and caught his best friend easily. “Dan!! Dan what are you doing here!! You didn’t tell me you were working for King!!”

“I didn’t tell you?! You didn’t tell me either!!”

“How else would I know him!!”

“Through Ramsey!!”

“Please, my dad wouldn’t have introduced us so easily!” Gavin was still latched onto the masked man, grinning widely, when Ryan stepped out of his office with a glare. He had no idea who this man was to Gavin, but he stared, jealousy clear on his face.

“‘Lo, Mad King.” Big Bad Wolf- Dan said, arms tight around Gavin still, like they belonged there. It made Ryan’s stomach churn.

“Wolf.” He remembered Gavin’s words, about not having to worry. But this? This was obviously something, all that it was missing was a kiss, which couldn’t happen with the man’s mask on. The tribal type wolf mask had been something Ryan had begun to like, had even thought about giving the mercenary a permanent spot in his empire. But now he only felt rage towards this man.

The reunion between the two seemed far too energetic for Ryan’s liking. The man cleared his throat, trying to get their attention, but he was ignored. Gavin and his friend hugged tightly for a few more seconds before they pulled away.

“So, you’re gonna be there while I work, huh?”

Gavin could tell Dan was smirking underneath his mask and he smirked back. “Yeah, B. I’ve got your back!”

They chuckled some more before Ryan put his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “Vav. If you would kindly leave, I do have some business to take care of with Wolf here.” Gavin blinked up at Ryan before looking at Dan who nodded softly.

“Ah, alright then. I guess I’ll be off, no work and all that.” So he left, turning around just in time to see Ryan’s intimidating glare being sent towards Dan. He shivered and turned back around.

He took his phone out of his pocket when it ringed. “Ah, Mark. How come he’s already here?” Gavin shrugged and couldn’t help but smirk at the message. Forgot his keys, yeah right. Gavin knew exactly where they were.

\---

“So, uh, sorry about coming up without too much warning but we were already in the area. Thanks for letting us in, I totally lost my key. This is Jack, by the way.” Mark smiled, gesturing to the green-haired man beside him as they walked through the door. “He’s...a terrible human being.”  

Jack let out an insulted scoff as Gavin chuckled. “‘Ello, Jack. And don’t worry about it, Mark, but you should really keep copies around more often. You always eventually lose that key.” He smirked teasingly, poking the elder’s side.

“Only because you fucking steal it from me when I’m distracted!” Mark growled, though he had a smirk on his face.

Gavin rolled his eyes amusedly. “I wouldn’t if you actually noticed I did it.”

Mark rolled his own eyes, sighing. “And I would notice if you weren’t as light-fingered as a feather. Then you just laugh at me. Where’ve you hidden it this time?” He groaned, muttering under his breath as Jack laughed from off to the side.

Gavin gave Mark an innocent look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, bro”

Mark let out a sigh, running a hand over his face. “Please tell me it’s not in the top drawer of Ray’s nightstand again, is it? Last time the things I found were traumatizing. I don’t care what he and Mogar get up to in their spare time, but I didn’t need the details.”

“Well, maybe you should check and find out.” Gavin’s smirk already told Mark everything.

“Goddammit, I hate you!” He yelled as he ran off towards Ray’s room. When he returned, he immediately glared between the two of them, laughing at his pain. “Shut the fuck up, you’re both terrible human beings.” He muttered, dropping the key onto the table as if it burned him.

Gavin snorted and moved to the fridge, taking out a redbull. “You guys want anything?” Jack shook his head and when Gav turned to Mark, he received a pointed look from his brother. “Um… Mark?”

“I’ll take one of your redbulls. You owe me.” He huffed, taking a seat at the table, gesturing to the seat next to him for Jack to sit in.

Gavin pulled a face, let out a loud whine “But Mark!” He pulled out the precious liquid. He made a noise that sounded pitifully close to a sob as he handed the beverage over. “Sleep well, sweet prince.”

Mark laughed at that, popping the lid in a dramatic way as he looked Gavin in the eyes. “I will enjoy drinking the blood of your son.” He muttered deeply, taking a long drink from the can.

Gavin stared at Mark with a scowl. “You’ve bloody hurt my feelings, Mark.”

Mark laughed again, more heartily this time. “See, this is what I put up with, Jack. This prick.” Mark grinned, winking at Gavin as he joked.

Gavin grinned back enthusiastically. “Yeah, well, I’ll leave you two to it, then. Family reunion and all.” Jack stood and headed off. “There’s a computer room to your left with a guest account, Jack,” Gavin called out before turning to Mark.

Mark watched as Jack left, then turned his gaze to Gavin. They sat there in silence, drinking from their cans. After a moment, he set the drink down, crossing his arms. “So…”

Gavin tensed and knew Mark had a few, or many, unpleasant things to talk about. “So, how’ve you been?” He tried to divert the subject, smiling as sweetly as possible.

“I’ve been good.” Mark smiled up at Gavin, then took another drink of his redbull. “How’s King?”

“That’s good, I’m glad!” Gavin was about to ask for more details when Mark asked about Ryan. “Ah, he’s alright. But y’know, I don’t know much about him and all.”

“Mmm, that’s funny, because I talked to Ray earlier.” He replied, watching as Gavin’s smile slowly began to falter. “And I don’t know about you, but there were a few details in there that I wish I hadn’t heard.”

Gavin’s face drained of all colours. “Look, Mark, I- I can explain! Really!!”

“Yeah? What is there to explain about fucking one of the biggest mob bosses this side of the nation?” Mark asked, his voice dropping to a lower tone. “He’s dangerous, Gavin. If anything he’s probably just playing you, and here you are falling right into his hands.”

Gavin flinched back before he started to feel offended. “I’m not a kid anymore!” His voice was practically a snarl at this point as he crossed his arms and glared straight at Mark. “And, yeah, I can explain! This has been going on for a while now, he’s not playing me at all!”

Mark sighed, placing his head in his hands. “I knew there was something going on. How fucking long has this been going on?” He asked, looking up at Gavin. “Since I got into town last time? Before? After?”

Gavin flushed but kept his glare before looking to the side. “After the party. The day after, anyways,” He admitted quietly, starting to play with the sleeve of his shirt to occupy himself.

Mark let out a deep sigh, glaring up at Gavin. “It’s been over a month since the party. This has been going on for that long??” Mark snapped, standing up. “You don’t even know him, you don’t know what he’s done. And before you say anything about knowing the King from his dealings and even from how you’ve been working for him, you have no idea about before that.”

Gavin stood up as well, practically fuming. “I know him! Ryan’s proper, he’s sweet to me! He wouldn’t hurt me, you’re the one who doesn’t know him!” He realised a moment too late that the King’s name had come out and suddenly slapped a hand over his mouth.

Mark stood there in shock for a moment, then his face became darker. “Please tell me he doesn’t know your name as well. And by the way, I’m sure he’d hurt you in a heartbeat.” He muttered, then lifted his shirt. “See this? I’m not exactly certain yet, but I’m sure it was him. His voice is familiar, and the way he looks out of his King costume. He was the Vagabond, Gav.”

Gavin could feel angry tears prickling at his eyes. “He didn’t kill you. And he wouldn’t! He wouldn’t hurt me, I know him more than you do! I’m the one who spends time with him! He’s not a _monster_!!”

Mark laughed at that, letting his shirt fall over the scars once more. “He damn well could have killed me, should have killed me even. Don’t think just because he’s  _‘changed’_   he’s still not the same. People don’t change that much.” He muttered, picking up his drink. “Though, I’m sure if you ask, Pattillo could tell you more. I hear she used to work with him on occasion while he was the Vagabond, though it’s never been confirmed that King is him. I’m sure she’d tell you if you asked _really_ nicely though.” He stormed out of the room, intent on going to join Jack in the other room.

Gavin stood there for a moment before stalking out of the kitchen, grabbing his hoodie, and storming off. He didn’t need this right now. “Don’t come looking for me you bloody prick!” He yelled out before slamming the door shut and running off.

Mark jumped a bit as he heard the door shut, rubbing a hand over his face. He didn’t need this right now, and he didn’t really care either. For now, he just turned away, opening the door to the computer room. He needed to take his mind off of the mess his brother got himself into.

Gavin walked back to the mansion, his feet tired and his legs sore by the time he got there. He walked in and searched for Ryan, without luck. He went to the man’s- or theirs by now, Gavin wasn’t sure -room and laid in the bed after taking his shoes off.

It didn’t take long for Ryan to show, he walked into the room with an iPad in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. When he noticed Gavin, however, he froze. “Gavin? Hey, Gav, what’s wrong?” He set down the tablet and mug before moving to the lad.

Receiving no answer, the gent laid down with him and ran his hand through Gavin’s hair. “Gavin, what happened?”

“He knows.” There was a long pause in which Ryan blinked confusedly a few times. “My brother, Wilford. He knows.”

“Ah. I take it that’s not a good thing.” Gavin shuffled closer and curled up against Ryan’s chest. He could feel tears staining his shirt and couldn’t help but get angry. “It’s alright. I have you.” He hugged the lad to his chest and pet his hair some more until he calmed down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Jackal here!! I'm sorry to say that there might not be any more updates until January. I have Christmas vacation coming up and all and I'm not sure just how busy Michigan and I will be, so I'd rather say we'll be back for January than anything else!! Love to all of you!! <3


	13. Chapter 13

Dan smiled into his phone, though it was tight. “C’mon, Jon, it’ll be great.” He said, pacing around the room he’d been given to stay in at the mansion. 

“Dan, you know I don’t like the King, I don’t want to go down there.” Jon sighed through the phone. 

“Jon dear, please? He’s just looking for another gun, and I told him I knew someone. Plus, you wouldn’t worry about me being in trouble, because you’ll be there. And I won’t miss you as much.” He pleaded, hoping Jon would say yes. 

“But what’s in it for me? I don’t care about the money, I’ve got more than I ever needed or wanted. I need a good reason to work with him.” 

It was Dan’s turn to let out a sigh. “Look, I told you, he needs an extra gun. We’re going up against the Corpirate. Besides, Gav’s here, and you’ve been wanting to meet him for so long.” Dan grinned into the phone, even though he knew Jon couldn’t see. “C’mon, for me? I miss you, lovely Jon.” He hummed. 

It was silent for a few moments, and Dan worried he’d say no. He really didn’t want to have to call anyone else, because he wasn’t sure who else could take on a job like this other than Jon. “Fine. I’ll get a ticket and be there tomorrow morning.” 

Dan fistpumped as he heard Jon’s voice finally seep through the phone. “Great! I’ll see you then, dear. Love you.” He said excitedly, glad to have Jon coming down. 

“I’ll see you then, love you.” Dan’s grin grew bigger as he heard those words, then hung up the phone. Tomorrow he’d be able to introduce Gavin to his boyfriend, something he’d been looking forward to for a long time. He just knew they’d get along great, and he was happy to see if he was right. 

He came out of the room and waked over to Gavin, loosely wrapping an arm around his best friend’s shoulders. “He said yes.”

“You proposed already, B?” Gavin teased, leaning into the larger man’s side. Dan laughed softly, pulling Gavin closer.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to.” They stood in silence for a while longer until Gavin reached up for Dan’s hand on his shoulder. He held it gently before moving it off his shoulder and dragging Dan behind himself. “C’mon, B. Let’s go play some games.”

\---

Ryan observed from the doorway as Wolf and Gavin became a tangled mess on the couch, game controllers in their hands and laughter in the air. Gavin still hadn’t told the gent what was wrong when he’d come to him the night before, other than that Warfstache knew.

But here, now, he could see no sign of pain on the younger’s face. And though this worried him, he knew he shouldn’t ask just now what exactly had happened.

He quickly exited the doorway as the doorbell rang, thinking it to be SepticEye and Warfstache coming for their meeting. Honestly, that was one meeting he wasn’t looking forward to, but it had to be done if he wanted their help. 

As Ryan reached the door, he composed himself quickly before he opened the door. What was waiting on the other side, however, he hadn’t been expecting. “Jon.” 

“Hello, Ryan. It’s been awhile.” Jon greeted tightly, looking over Ryan’s shoulder. He turned then, to see a very excited Wolf and a very confused Gavin stood behind him. 

“You made it!” Wolf cried out, running forward to grab his bags. “I’m so glad. C’mon, lemme introduce you to Vav.” He walked back inside, smiling widely at his best friend as Jon followed him without a word.

“Ah, you must be Gavin. I’m Jon, it’s nice to finally meet Dan’s best friend. I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

Gavin smiled lopsidedly and shook Jon’s hand. “Likewise.”

Ryan looked between the two as he shut the front door, noting the bags once more. “This is who I called. He agreed to be an extra hand.” His head twisted over to Wolf as he spoke, nodding. 

“I’m sure that took a lot of convincing, but I know he’s good. He’ll be fine.” Ryan said tightly as Gavin and Jon talked off to the side. “So, I’m assuming he’ll be staying in your room with you?” Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow. Honestly, seeing that Jon was with Wolf didn’t surprise him at all. In fact, he was happy for the other man. He deserved someone like Wolf.

“Yeah, it did, and yeah, he will be.” Wolf nodded. “Don’t worry, this’ll be fine.” 

Ryan furrowed his brow at the statement, but then his stomach clenched as he realized that this whole time, Wolf must’ve known about his past. Jon probably told him, and this whole time he’s known. Ryan quickly excused himself then, hoping that Wolf and Jon hadn’t said a word to anyone else. 

…

“Warfstache, SepticEye, it’s nice to see you both.” Ryan greeted as the two entered the room. “I know you two aren’t overly fond of each other, but I know you both have worked with each other on a few occasions. Please, have a seat.”

He watched as the two sat down, giving no indication that anything was wrong. He didn’t know how last night between Warfstache and Gavin had gone, but from the look he was being given, he knew it must’ve been near disastrous. It didn’t help at all that Gavin was only a few doors down laying in his bed, either. 

“Now, I do believe we have a common enemy. The Corpirate, he’s been causing a great deal of trouble for me and mine, and from what I’ve heard he’s been causing trouble for you and yours as well. I would really appreciate us all coming together to help solve this problem, to show him that he can’t run the show just by throwing around some money. Would you two be willing to join me in these efforts? I think we would be doing each other a favor by taking him on together.”

SepticEye spoke up first, and Ryan was slightly taken aback by the accent for a moment. “I think it’d be good for all of us if he was taken down a notch. I’m in.” Ryan nodded, looking to Warfstache next. 

The man before him had his eyes narrowed, and seemed to be in deep thought about it. It was several moments later before he voiced his opinion. “Well, he has caused a lot of trouble for me. But what would be in it for me and my men to join you, other than him being taken down?” He asked skeptically. “As far as I know, there’s nothing of his we can really take for ourselves here, all things considered.”

“Of course, I’d be willing to pay you all. And the Corpirate has been bringing in a lot of ordnance lately, and even if he used some of it against us, he’s been stockpiling so much that there’d be plenty left over after we take care of him. I’ll give the two of you first pick, or all of it if you wish. If you can think of something better than that, please, voice it. I’ll see what I can do. I want this to benefit you as much as it would benefit me.” 

Ryan stopped for a minute, knowing what else Warfstache was getting at. “And of course, I wouldn’t be pulling all the strings. Ramsey is an ally of mine, and we agreed to this together. The four of us, with us being the heads of our gangs, could all meet together and make a plan together.”

Warfstache hummed as he seemed to think it over some more. “I would like to take X-Ray and Vav into my gang after all this is done and over with.”

Ryan was shocked at hearing that request, his stomach dropping. He knew what this was about, but he knew he couldn’t turn Warfstache down. “If that’s how they feel when this is over, if they want to join you...then I won’t say no. And I won’t tell them to say no as well. It’s entirely up to them, and if they say yes I won’t fight it. Do we have a deal?” He asked, raising his eyebrows at Warfstache. 

SepticEye stared at Warfstache as the other sat there silently, a glare still resting upon his face. “Yes. I’ll help you.” 

“Well, then I guess this is all settled.” SepticEye spoke up, clapping his hands. “Time to go back to Evi. I’m sure you’ll be in touch about the meetings with Ramsey and yourself?” 

“I will indeed. I’m glad we had this talk, and I appreciate that we have come to this conclusion. Thank you.” Ryan smiled at the two, standing up to shake their hands before they left. He shook SepticEye’s first, but when he held his hand out to Warfstache, the man never took it, instead just nodding and following the green-haired man out. His hand dropped to his side, and he sighed as the door shut. Things were not going to be easy with Warfstache.

After doing a bit more work, Ryan finally stood up and left the office, heading back to his own room. As he opened the door, he saw Gavin curled up on the bed, reading something on his phone. He looked up as the door shut again, quickly sitting up. “Is he gone?” Gavin asked, watching as Ryan began changing into his night clothes. 

“Yeah, he’s gone. Didn’t seem happy with me, but that’s to be expected, I’m sure.” He hummed as he crawled into bed, giving Gavin a gentle kiss. “I’m here now, so don’t worry.” Ryan smiled at the other man, and it grew as Gavin smiled back. “Now c’mon, let’s get a bit of rest.” He said, pulling Gavin back onto the bed.


	14. Chapter 14

Gavin was laying on top of Dan on the couch, both of them talking in hushed tones as they held onto the other. Jon huffed at the sight, more than a little jealous. He hadn’t expected this when Dan had said that he’d get to meet his best friend.  
Did they date at some point maybe? Jon shook the thought away and turned when he heard footsteps. Him and Ryan locked eyes for a second before Jon quickly turned away.

Gavin murmured something that made Dan smile like a lovesick teenager and Jon’s stomach twisted. They were practically a tangled mess on the couch, holding onto each other like their lives depended on it. Then again, he thought softly. They haven’t seen each other in a long while. He sighed just as Ryan stopped next to him, staring at the open display of affection and care Dan and Gavin were pouring out to each other.

“Do you know how long they’ve known each other?” It took a moment for Jon to realise that Ryan was talking to him, and when he did, he tensed and leaned as far away from him as possible.

“Years from what Dan’s told me.” The gent hummed in answer before moving to his kitchen, something stiff in the way he walked. Jon turned at Gavin’s loud laughter only to find Dan rolling them over on the couch to pin the smaller man underneath himself.

He heard Dan let out a content sigh before he seemed to notice Jon was even there. “Jon! Save me, Gavin is being hypothetical again!” Though the plea seemed honest, Dan was smiling as widely as Jon had never seen before.

So, the man walked over and pulled Gavin from under Dan. “Well, then, I’ll just take him.” Gavin squawked but moved to hold onto Jon with his whole body, then, like some sort of cat, tried to scale him.

“Gavin! Don’t try to climb over my boyfriend!” Dan was already reaching for the other brit when Jon moved away, still carrying the short brunet. “Jon! I thought I was your only brit!”

Gavin cackled at his best friend’s whine, letting himself go lax in Jon’s arms. “You’re surprisingly strong, Jon. Are you built like Dan? Nah, you’re thinner than Dan… Pure muscle, I guess? Dan is almost only pure muscle! But then he’s slightly pudgy. But you must know that better than anyone, eh, Jon?” The way Gavin had said the last sentence made Jon falter and splutter, dropping the Brit.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He took the last few steps to a table with coffee mugs already filled on it. Gavin chuckled before standing up and following, looking back to see Dan lounge on the couch comfortably  
.  
“So, you and Dan-” they looked at each other, Gavin amused while Jon seemed more than a little annoyed. “You and Dan,” Jon repeated. “How close are you?” Gavin shrugged and took a seat and his favourite mug, smiling at the liquid inside.

“Been friends since before I came here, good friends. He’s really the best bloke I know.” Jon nodded and sat down himself. He stared at the cup in his hand. He could feel Gavin’s eyes on him and he frowned. “You and Dan, you’re a thing, yeah?” He looked up at that, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Gavin’s cold look surprised him. “Don’t hurt him.” The older man seemingly flinched back at Gavin’s tone. But before he could say anything, the lad was smiling widely again. “I’m glad he has you, though.” Jon wanted to be mad, honestly, he did. But it was hard when Gavin was smiling so brightly, his cheeks slightly flushed and his green hazel eyes shining. So, he fought back a blush and drank his coffee. “I’m ah, I’m glad I have him, too.”

Gavin’s laugh was soft and genuine, not at all helping Jon at stopping his furious blush. Whatever Dan and Ryan felt for him, he guessed he understood now. They walked back to the couch when their coffees were done, Gavin plopping right on Jon once he was sat. Jon let out a small annoyed noise but otherwise let Gavin cuddle in closer. Jon looked up after a while as he heard someone coming into the room, freezing under Gavin as he saw Ryan staring between the three of them. He quickly turned his gaze away from Ryan as he felt Gavin shifting into a more comfortable position on top of him, trying to ignore his looming presence. 

When he heard Ryan’s throat clear, he was nearly toppled over as Gavin jumped and twisted around, climbing over the back of the couch to reach the man. “Ryan!” He heard Gavin exclaim happily, though from the silence of the other, he knew he wasn’t happy. _Of course,_ Jon thought bitterly. _Ryan isn't ever one for sharing anything, after all._

…

Ryan hated seeing Gavin anywhere near Jon, hated even more seeing him sprawled out over his lap. Of course, he didn’t want to say that to the other man, he knew that he was just overly affectionate. It didn’t mean he had to like it, though. As Gavin ran over to him, Ryan forced a smile. “What’s up, Rye?” Gavin asked, wrapping his arms around Ryan’s waist as if he hadn’t just been using Jon for a chair. 

“Nothing, just wanted to see what you guys were up to.” He hummed, wrapping his own arms around Gavin. He lifted his head to see Jon staring, and from the look on the other man’s face, he knew he must be glaring. Ryan quickly turned his attention back to Gavin, who seemed to have a confused look on his face. 

“Alright, we’re just watching some TV. You missed Dan trying to wrestle me.” Gavin snickered, and Ryan looked up as a hand flew in the air. 

“He was getting hypothetical, it had to stop!” Wolf cried out without taking his eyes off of the TV screen. “I can’t let him get away with that shite.” 

Gavin laughed in Ryan’s arms, and Ryan just smiled back tightly. “I understand.” He said, trying to keep a small amount of anger leaking out of his voice. “Well, I have some work to do, so I’ll leave you to it.” He announced, releasing his hold on Gavin.

Before he could back away, Gavin tightened his hold around Ryan’s waist, pouting up at him. “C’mon, come sit with us for a bit? It’ll be great.” Gavin grinned widely, a hopeful look in his eyes. It actually hurt for Ryan to shake his head at that. He needed to be away from this scene. 

“I can’t, I have work to do. Another time.” He responded, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Gavin’s lips as the other began to pout more. Finally Gavin relinquished his hold on Ryan, letting him go. 

Ryan quickly left the room, heading back up to his office. He didn’t want to get angry over Gavin just being friendly, but he couldn’t help it. Gavin was his, and he needed him to know that. He’d just have to show him later who he belonged to now, and who belonged to him.


	15. Chapter 15

It was quiet by time Ryan finished his work and made his way back to his room. Was it really that late? Gavin was usually up late as it is, either on a job or just busy with something, and when Wolf came into town there was no exception. If it was this quiet, it had to be late. The door shut quietly behind him as entered the room, though when he turned around he saw the soft glow of a phone from the bed. "Is it really that late?" He asked, moving to his side of the bed and turning on a lamp. 

"No, don't worry. I just didn't have anything to do tonight and Dan and Jon went to bed early. Probably just missed each other, even if Jon used jet lag as an excuse." Gavin hummed, setting his phone aside and stretching across the bed towards Ryan. "You should have joined us earlier, we had a lot of fun." 

Ryan shrugged as he began unbuttoning his shirt. "I had work to do. We've got a lot going on, I've got to make sure I'm properly prepared, especially since I have a meeting tomorrow."

Gavin's hands lifted up from the bed and moved to undo Ryan's belt as he spoke. "Well then, we'll just have to get you next time." Gavin purred as he looked up at Ryan, helping him out of his kilt.

He smiled down at Gavin as he let his shirt fall to the floor, climbing onto the bed as he let his hands come up to grasp at Gavin's shoulders. "What're you up to?" He asked with a sly grin. 

Gavin grinned back innocently as he pulled off Ryan's kilt, a hand moving to wrap around him. "Oh, nothing." The man under him hummed. "Nothing at all. I swear."

"Mhm, of course." Ryan rolled his eyes as he hardened in Gavins grasp, his own hands coming up to shove up Gavin's shirt. 

"Yep. No ulterior motives here." Gavin only hummed, grinning up at Ryan. 

It didn't take long after that for them both to be naked and for Ryan to be deep inside Gavin, one hand grasping his hip hard while the other cupped his collarbone. As he looked down at the man below him he thought back to what he wanted to do earlier. "Say you're mine." Ryan rumbled, staring into Gavin's green eyes. 

"I'm yours." Gavin whispered as he rolled his hips against Ryan's with a moan.

"Louder." Ryan growled, shoving his hips deep into Gavin to punctuate his word. 

"I'm yours!" Gavin cried out as he grasped helplessly at the sheets. "I'm yours, I'm yours, all yours!" 

Ryan only grinned before leaning down into Gavin's ear. "You're all mine, mine." He murmured lowly, loving the way Gavin shivered at the words. Before long they were both cumming, and Ryan collapsed next to Gavin. "You're all mine," he whispered once more, "and I'm all yours."

Gavin's only response to that was to nuzzle close, breathing deeply. Ryan could only smile, his heart warming as he lay next to Gavin.

....

Gavin was fidgeting from his side of the bed, his mind running. He'd been trying to ignore it ever since Mark had told him, but he needed to know if it was true; was Ryan really the Vagabond? It would explain so much about him, but Gavin didn't know if he believed it. He'd heard so many stories about the Vagabond, from Mark and Geoff and Jack. They were horrible stories, depicting a ruthless man with a black soul and a heart of pure ice. Ryan on the other hand, the Mad King, he was so much different from all of those stories. He was cold when he had to be, firm at times, but he was also sweet and kind when it was just them. 

Gavin knew their relationship had mostly been sex and business until this point, but he also knew Ryan. Even before they had made the decision to become exclusive, they'd sat up late and talked every now and then, there were moments when Gavin would catch Ryan just staring at him with this soft expression on his face, and times where Ryan would help out Gavin if he needed it when Gavin knew he wouldn't do it for most people they knew. Ryan was firm and stiff and cold when it came to work, but when it came to Gavin in private, he was kind and sweet yet passionate. 

Another thing that had him confused was Jon and Ryan. Whenever they were in the same room together, they both stiffened and refused to look at each other, yet they were on a first name basis with each other. The only people Gavin knew of that Ryan was on a first name basis with was himself, Geoff, and Jack, so how was it that him and Jon were already there? There had to be more to that story, and Gavin needed to know something about it. He jumped a bit as an arm looped around his waist, pulling him in. "I can practically hear you thinking. What's up?" Ryan asked softly and sleepily, lifting his head to look down at Gavin. 

The younger bit his lip, his heart pounding a bit. Where did he start? How did he bring this up? Finally, he decided to start with Jon. "So, I was just wondering...you and Jon--" He started, though he was cut off by a sigh. 

"It's complicated." Ryan muttered, laying his head down once more. "We knew each other a long time ago, and obviously things didn't end well between us." He paused, looking back at Gavin. "He's a good man though, don't worry. He wasn't the problem there." Ryan leaned in and kissed Gavin's cheek before turning around, letting his back face Gavin.

Gavin let them lay there in silence a little longer, putting off asking the toughest question as long as he could. Finally, just as he heard Ryan's breathing begin to slow, he swallowed deeply and asked. "Is it true?" He murmured. He didn't even look over as Ryan turned back to him. 

"Is what true?" Ryan asked, his voice filled to the brim with confusion. 

Gavin closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply for a moment. He turned his head and opened his eyes, searching Ryan's face for any sign of a truth. "Were you the Vagabond?" He asked timidly. 

Something flashed across Ryan's face, something Gavin couldn't read. Ryan's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, and right then and there Gavin knew. As he got up from the bed he ignored the hands reaching out for him. "Gavin, I can explain--" 

"How the hell did you hide this from me!? How _could_ you hide it from me?" Gavin spat out, his heart torn. 

Ryan sat up on the bed, his eyes going cold. "Why is this such a huge deal? I was a murderer. I still am a murderer. I don't see why this is so big."

Gavin sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, I don't know, there's the fact that you almost killed my brother years ago. There's that." He muttered and watched as Ryan's face fell. "Then there's the difference from being a murderer and being a bloody cold blooded killer who will take out anyone in his way." Gavin began gathering his clothes and huffed out a sigh. "There's also the fact that here I am, willing to be with you and tell you everything, and I don't even know you." 

Gavin didn't even look back as he left the room, ignoring Ryan's protests. As he dressed himself in the hallway he noticed that the shirt he'd grabbed wasn't even his, but Ryan's. With a deep exhale he slid it onto his shoulders before heading out, grabbing the keys to the first car he found.

Right now he needed time to process this new information. He should have listened to Mark. Maybe then he wouldn't have fallen so deeply for a man he didn't even truly know. Gavin started the car and pulled out of Ryan's driveway. From the corner of his eye he saw a figure standing in the doorway, but it was too late. Gavin was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

Mark looked up from where he had been bickering with Jack to see Ray coming out of his room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Mornin’ there, sleepyhead.” He greeted in a sing-song tone as he got up from the couch. Behind him, Jack turned to his phone with a smug grin. Later Mark would have to show up that just because he was leaving the conversation, that didn’t make it over or him the winner. 

“Morning.” Ray yawned as he head into the kitchen with Mark trailing behind him. “What’s up?” 

Mark shrugged as he grabbed a water from the fridge. “Not much.” He hummed and sat at the table as Ray moved around collecting cereal and a bowl. “Hey, I thought I heard Gavin come in late last night, but he’s not in his room and I don’t remember hearing him leave again. Have you heard anything?” 

Ray shook his head as he poured cereal into his bowl. “No, I haven’t heard anything since last night. Have you tried texting him?” 

“Yeah, but he never responded. He might still be angry with me.” 

Ray shrugged as he headed for the fridge. “Maybe he’s still at King’s then. Probably just came by to grab more clothes. I’ll text him in a bit, if he doesn’t text back within a couple hours then we’ll worry. I’m sure he’s fine.” 

Mark nodded as he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Ray was right, Gavin was probably fine. Just upset with him. No need to worry. 

…

The meeting with the others went well. They came up with the start of a good plan against the Corpirate, but something about Geoff seemed...a bit off through the whole meeting, but Mark didn’t worry. The man knew what he was doing, been through enough to know what would work and what wouldn’t, he trusted him. Though, it was a little strange when Geoff left a little quicker than usual after the meeting. The room had since emptied after the meeting, leaving Mark alone to collect his thoughts and text Gavin once more. Right as he had hit send on his apology text, the door opened to reveal Dan, Ray, and Mogar, all wearing matching expressions of worry. 

“What’s going on?” He asked as he stood and looked at the others. 

Mogar shuffled his feet for a moment before piping up. “We’ve been looking everywhere for Vav, and we can’t seem to find him anywhere.” 

Ray nodded. “He hasn’t responded to my texts or calls, I’m really worried.” 

Mark let out a sigh before smiling at them. “Look, he’s probably just a little upset, probably off blowing off some steam. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” He hummed as he headed towards the door. “Let’s all go out and get something for dinner. My treat.” Even as the words left his mouth, even as the four of them headed off to go get food without Gavin by their side, he didn’t believe a word of it. But it wasn’t uncommon for Gavin to run off on his own for a day or two, and he was usually back before the 48 hour mark. There was probably no need to worry. 

…

Two full days had passed since that morning when they didn’t hear from Gavin, and Mark was absolutely livid.

There was only one explanation for his disappearance, and he hated it. It was the only logically thing. Gavin had usually called Ray to check in by now, or he’d come home. Neither had happened, and the last person to see him was the Mad King, which lead Mark here; standing outside the King’s front door. 

“King! I know you’re in there, and I know you can hear me!” He yelled at the security camera off to the side of the door. “Open up! We need to have a talk!” Mark slammed his fists on the door as he stared into the camera. “Open the damn door and fucking face me!” He screeched as he turned and slammed his boot into the door several times. “Where the fuck is he!?” 

It didn’t take much longer before the door swung open in front of him, King himself stood there in jeans and a t-shirt with his hair a mess. At the sight, Mark should have known that something was very wrong, but his mind was too clouded. Instead, before the King could even spout a word off, he reached out and grabbed the man by the neck and shoved him against the wall next to the door. 

“Where the hell is he?” He demanded as he leaned in close. 

The King didn’t even struggle in his gasp, just waited for Mark to let up on his throat enough for him to speak. “I don’t know, how should I know?” 

“Because he was with you! He was here with you the last time anyone saw him. It’s been two fucking days and no one has heard a goddamn word from Gavin, so where the hell is he!?” 

Kind seemed to freeze at that, an unreadable look overcoming his face. “Wait, I thought he was with you? He stormed out of here the last time I saw him. I thought he was still angry and that’s why…”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, I don’t fucking believe you.” Mark snarled, pushing harder at the King’s throat, reveling in how the man choked before him. It didn’t last long though, as just moments later hands grabbed him from behind and threw him against the opposite wall. 

In front of him stood a fuming Mogar, keeping himself between the two men. “Knock it the fuck off, now. Warf, Ryan has no idea where Vav is. If Vav was here I probably would have seen him once or twice, or Ryan would have mentioned him being here.” The man turned to face King then. “You, go get dressed and figure out what you’re gonna do, okay? Before one of you kills the other.” 

Mark watched with cold eyes as the King quickly ran off before turning them to Mogar. “What the fuck? I had it handled.”

“No, you had it in your head to kill him no matter what he told you. Trust me, very bad idea. Now c’mon, either get in here and figure out a plan or go home and leave the King alone.”

For a moment he hesitated, trying to decide what to do, but in the end he closed the front door once more and headed in to take a seat and give Ray a call. 

…

Ryan sat at his desk filling paperwork. He looked exhausted, dark circles around his eyes. He looked up when he heard the door open. “X-Ray.” 

X-Ray shut the door loudly behind himself, clearly fuming. “So that’s it? You find out Vav’s gone and you just sit here, doing nothing? Seriously.” He spat out, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat down in front of Ryan’s desk. 

Ryan looked back at his paperwork with a hum. “Vav decided to leave. If he doesn’t want to be found, I have no say in the matter.” He replied, setting his pen down.

The younger scoffed at that. “Of course he decided to leave, what’s here to stay for?” He muttered, standing up again. “If Vav dies, it’s on you. Him and I are a unit. If you don’t wanna go look for him, fine, but I know that Vav would never be away from me this long. If he wanted to leave he would have asked me to go with him.” 

Ryan slammed his hand on the desk, looking angry suddenly. “How do you even know that? People choose to leave all the time, why wouldn’t he leave you behind?” He hissed, glaring up at Ray.

X-Ray stood in front of Ryan, staring down at him coldly. “Clearly you have no idea what kind of person Vav is.” He said, laying a hand on the desk in front of him. “Vav and I haven’t ever left each other behind, not since Ramsey took us both in. Even before that, in fact.” He began heading towards the door, but just before his hand landed on the knob, he turned back to Ryan. “If you wanna sit here and do nothing, fine. But I’m going out there to find my brother, and I’m not doing anything else until he’s back here. Maybe in that time you’ll get your head out of your ass and you’ll come help, if you care at all about him.” Ray opened the door with that and walked out without a single glance back. 

Ryan stared after X-Ray and held back the urge to wreck his desk. He deflated and leaned back into his seat, rubbing at his eyes. He needed to find Gavin. With a groan he stood and followed after X-Ray angrily. “You won’t be able to find him without the proper resources.” He said simply, leading Ray to a room with a small computer team in it. “They can help.”

Ray looked around the room, then grabbed Ryan’s hand and pulled him out of the room. “ _This_ is your idea of finding him?” Ray hissed. “A bunch of your employees sitting in a room?” He let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “I’ve been on these streets forever, and I always find who I’m looking for. I’ll be fine on my own.” He snapped. 

Ryan gripped Ray’s hand and gave him a cold, empty look. “If Gavin wouldn’t leave without you, then someone has him. My team are the best at finding people, mostly those who’ve been kidnapped.” He raised the hand with Ray’s in it and glared. “If you don’t want to look at every possible angle, then fine, look for him on the streets, maybe he’ll be a few cities over. Maybe he’ll already be dead.” The thought scared him, but it didn’t show. “If you don’t want my help, fine. You can leave. But if you want to make sure he wasn’t taken, then the least you could do is at least give this a chance.” He let go of X-Ray’s hand. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt his Gavin, even if Gavin hated him now. He couldn’t make the same mistake again.

Ray gave Ryan a disgusted look. “I’m going out to look for him my way, with Mark and Dan. You can stay here and do your thing, letting someone else find him and go get him. Just know that when we find him, that’s the last you’ll ever see of him. This is all your fault anyway.” He muttered.

“You don’t know _anything_!!” Ryan yelled, holding back from harming Ray. “You don’t know how I take care of things, you don’t know anything at all!!” His anger was growing at every passing moment and Ryan was obviously about to snap. “You, you, _you-_ ”

Before Ray could say a single word, he heard someone call out Ryan’s name behind him. Dan came running up beside Ray, letting a hand fall onto his shoulder, while Jon stopped in front of Ryan. “Ryan, calm down, calm down!” Jon said firmly. “Just breathe, alright? Remember? Breathe in, and breathe out.” Jon murmured softly as he began breathing deeply in front of Ryan. Ray himself was utterly confused, but Dan’s hand only tightened reassuringly on his shoulder.

Ryan stared at Jon and it took him a moment before he remembered how to breathe properly. For once in this whole week, Jon was a reassurance. He breathed with him and calmed down slowly, his fists unclenching.

Dan slowly began to lead Ray away, letting Jon and Ryan be. “C’mon, they’ll be fine. Ryan just needs to calm down, don’t worry about it.” Ray was about to open his mouth and ask why they were doing that, why Dan and Jon were on a first name basis with the King, why Jon was the one to step in, but before he could Dan spoke up once more. “Mark’s waiting for us downstairs, we should go. Mogar will stay here to keep an eye on everything, he’ll let us know if anything happens. C’mon, let’s go find Gav and bring him home.” 

Ryan slumped against Jon after a bit, gripping his shirt as he let static take over his mind. “Jon.” He mumbled over and over again, like it was a prayer, a sad, longing one.  
Dan looked back at Ryan and Jon behind him before him and Ray went down the stairs, wanting to be jealous at the way Jon was running his fingers through Ryan’s hair, wanting to be angry at how Ryan held onto Jon… but he couldn’t be. It just looked so natural for them, it just looked so right. Another part of him wished he could be there too, holding Ryan against his chest, telling him it would be all right. Right now though he had to go find Gavin, had to make sure he was okay, had to bring him home. It wasn’t his place to help Ryan out like that. He turned away as they came up to the stairs, pushing away all thoughts about Ryan and Jon from his head as he focussed on the task at hand.


	17. Chapter 17

Jon held onto Ryan gently as the man slept uneasily. It’d been so long since they’d been this close, but Ryan needed it. He wanted to feel guilty but he couldn’t bring himself to as he stared at the gent’s face. 

He sighed and couldn’t help it as he kissed Ryan’s cheek, causing the other to mumble and wrap an arm around Jon, pulling him closer. He didn’t say anything as he stared at Ryan’s sleeping face, didn’t say anything as Ryan woke up and stared at him like he put the stars in the night sky. He suspected he was giving him the same look, anyways. They held onto each other tightly, Jon’s hand in Ryan’s hair and Ryan’s at Jon’s waist. 

Of course, old habits die hard, and Jon leaned in, kissing Ryan languidly, pulling him closer as he kissed back. “Ryan.” He whispered, which was immediately answered by another kiss, and another. Jon pulled back after a moment, resting their foreheads together. 

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

They stayed that way for a moment, silence enveloping them comfortably. Jon gave a soft sigh after a bit, sitting up. “Let’s go look for Gavin.”

Ryan stared at Jon for what seemed like a long moment before he stood and looked for his old things. Jon stood and stared at the Vagabond attire with a saddened frown. “Really, Ryan?” He mumbled, looking at him.

Ryan didn’t say anything as he quickly got changed and put the mask on. “I’m going to get him back, even if that means slipping back for a few hours.” He replied coldly. Jon knew this side of Ryan and he simply reached for him, crossing his fingers behind Ryan’s neck.

“You can’t do everything on your own.” He reminded gently, slipping a hand underneath the mask to lift it off of Ryan’s face. “Let me help you.”

The man stared, softening considerably before nodding hesitantly. “Alright.”

Jon lead Ryan into the bathroom with the mask in hand and dropped it onto the counter of the sink. He knew if Ryan still had the rest of his things, then the paint was still where he left it. When he leaned down and opened up the cabinet underneath the sink, pried up the board covering the left wall, he wasn’t surprised to find it sitting there in the hole that Ryan had cut there so long ago to stash his valuables, back when he first got the place. “Of course you would put this here. No need to put anything of value in here since you’re one of the most powerful man in the city, so of course you’d hide your paint here.” 

“I haven’t needed it, and I don’t need it now.” Ryan sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bath. 

“If you’re going as the Vagabond, better do it right. Also better to hide your face if you somehow manage to get caught. Don’t want people finding out that the Vagabond is really the Mad King, do we?” Jon said with a wide grin. A part of him had missed this, the better times they had together. As much as he loved Dan, there would always be that part of his heart that belonged to Ryan. 

Jon opened up the paint kit after he had pulled it from the hole in the wall. He turned to Ryan and simply put a finger under his chin to lift his head without a word. No matter how many years it had been Jon would never forget the pattern of the Vagabond’s facepaint. 

The whole ordeal didn’t take too long, and by the end Jon felt like he was looking back so many years into the past. Like he was there again helping Ryan ready for his next job. Like he was there waiting to kiss him when it was all over and he was home once more, like the next day it would probably be his turn to leave for a job and Ryan would pull him into his arms the moment he stepped through the door, no matter if Jon was covered in blood and soot and dirt. 

But this wasn’t years ago. This was now, and instead of helping him ready for another nameless job he was preparing him to go out and get his boyfriend back. At the end of the day they wouldn’t kiss, Ryan would be pulling Gavin into his arms and Jon would be curled up with Dan in his own. Even so, Jon was content with this. This seemed sweeter than those days of old. 

Before Jon got ready himself he checked his phone, and the only message he’d received was Dan telling him there was no news on Gavin. He wasn’t sure why, but his heart twisted at the news. He didn’t even know Gavin well. Either way they’d make sure he came home safe. Jon spared one last look at Ryan before he left the room to head to his own. They’d bring Gavin home, and then they could all rest peacefully. 

…

Jon put away his phone as they reached where Dan said he and the others were. “This is the place. Last message from Dan said that they’d tracked down Vav to an old warehouse by the cliffside, but he said that the men there seemed to have moved on since then. Still worth checking out, see if they were sloppy enough to leave clues as to where they went.”

Ryan didn’t respond as he climbed out of the car and headed towards the room number Dan had given them of the motel they were at. Jon quickly scrambled from the car himself and jogged to catch up with him as he reached the door. He knew the others wouldn’t be happy to find just the Vagabond lurking outside their door. 

Ryan beat on the door a few times until it was swiftly opened, revealing Mogar standing there. His expression quickly changed from annoyed anger to fear and confusion. “What the fuck is he doing here?” He asked as he stepped back to let the two into the room. 

“Helping us find Vav.” Dan replied from the back of the room, and Jon smirked as the other finally lifted his head and took in the sight before him. “Though I wasn’t expecting it to be like this. It’s welcome though.” 

Ray scoffed from the bed as he looked from his phone. “I don’t believe it. Who’d you hire to play Vagabond, Jon? We all know the Vagabond is dead, so bringing him along isn’t really going to do anything but scare the piss out of a few guys.” 

“Whoever said the Vagabond died? He just disappeared is all. Maybe he went into hiding and retired from his life of murder and crime. Maybe he decided the life of a nameless killer wasn’t good enough and became the ruler of the city. Maybe he’s standing right in front of us as a gun for hire once more, maybe he’s doing this because deep down, he really just has a big heart and a bigger thirst for vengeance.” Dan chuckled from his seat. “Or maybe you’re right. Maybe he died in a ditch a faceless man without a face or family. It was before our time after all.” 

Jon didn’t even have to look at Ryan to know he was rolling his eyes at the spiel Dan had rattled off. What he wasn’t expecting was Ryan to actually speak. “Whatever it is that helps you sleep at night. Take your pick.” 

Now it was Jon’s turn to roll his eyes as he stepped further into the room. “No need to be so damn dramatic, both of you. You guys said you tracked him down to a warehouse at the cliffs?”

Mogar was the one who answered him. “Yeah, turns out King’s computer geeks really did help. Between the two teams we were able to track him to an old steel mill by the cliffside. No wonder it’s abandoned by the way, who puts a fucking steel mill on a cliffside? Anyway, X-Ray and I were scouting it out just an hour ago. The guys left in a bit of a hurry, but they seemed excited about something. There’s a chance that in their hurry to leave they left a few clues around. In the meantime X-Ray and myself convinced Joel to help us from the police station. If he hears anything he’ll text one of us with details. For now, I say all of us head over to the old steel mill.” 

“Of course, there’s always a chance they somehow spotted us and they left as a way to lure us back into a trap. Either way, it’s good for us. We’ll figure out where Vav is in no time.” X-Ray piped up without a glance away from his phone. 

Jon nodded, looking over the four men stood in the room. “Then we should pack up and head out. We’ll come back here when we’ve checked out the steel mill. Hopefully we’ll have Vav in hand, but if not we’ll at least come back with some information as to his whereabouts.”


	18. Chapter 18

After Gavin left Ryan's place, he'd gone back to his apartment. When he opened the door he'd heard Mark shift in the his sleep and ultimately ignored him. Right now he needed to be alone. He didn't want his brother telling him things lie he was right and telling him that he needed to leave him. That was something that he wanted to figure out on his own. 

Once he was in his room and settled into his bed he left his mind wander. Hearing from Ryan's own mouth that he was the Vagabond had made him angry at first, but after a long and reckless drive around the city he was finally able to sit and think on this properly. 

On the one hand, Gavin knew all about how the Vagabond was. Geoff and Jack had told him some stories over the years of course. Jack had even mentioned working a job with him once and explained in detail how during a capture and torture job they had been hired to do, the Vagabond seemed to have taken immense pleasure out of torturing the man using horrible techniques, and had taken his time killing him once they had the information that their employer needed. Jack hadn't done a job like that since, and seemed haunted when telling the story (though, that didn't stop Gavin jacking it to the thought of the Vagabond taking so much joy out of doing such a job. Gavin was a bit fucked up and had gotten off on the stories he'd heard as a teen, though that one had been his favorite).

Though of course, even with things like that hanging over him... Ryan wasn't like that. He wasn't that person anymore. Now he seemed to take pleasure in having almost an entire city under his power. He enjoyed running the streets from a place of comfort, of ordering people around. Then there was the fact of how he was treated by Ryan. Of course it had been rocky at first, but neither of them had planned for it to go this far. Ryan treated him with care, listened to him, and was honest. Gavin hadn't been treated this way by someone in a long time. 

Gavin let out a sigh as he heard footsteps in the hall and soft voices. Ray and Mogar from the sounds of it. Gavin stood up and began throwing some clothes in his bag as he heard the door to Ray's room shut, deciding to head out to a motel instead. Right now he just needed some peace and quiet, and with four other people in this apartment he knew he wouldn't be able to get that here.

...

 _What am I supposed to do now?_

That was the only thing running through his head as he drove down the road heading slightly out of town. He didn't wanna stray too far away unless he was needed, but he wanted to be far enough that he wouldn't be tempted to head back over to Ryan's before he was ready. At least now there was still a chance of fixing this and he didn't want to fuck it up by saying some things that he wouldn't be able to take back. 

He stopped as he reached a red light, and took the time to let himself relax a bit. There wasn't anyone around right now since he was already far enough away from downtown that there wasn't too much activity at this hour. He rested his face into his hands and let himself take a deep breath. Gavin was shaken out of his trance as he heard a loud honk behind himself and noticed that the light had turned green now. He took one more deep breath as he hit the gas, and began out into the road. 

Gavin didn't make it very far before a rather large SUV slammed into the passenger side of his car. 

...

The lights were shining very brightly as he woke up. Gavin's head was swimming, though the room he was in looked to be some sort of storage area of an old warehouse. The lights in the room were from what looked to be some really top-notch fluorescent lamps. He felt dried blood on the side of his face, and most of his body was in immense pain. It was expected after being hit by a car. 

His head turned towards a door as it slammed open, causing him to be a little dizzy. Inside walked three men who all wore massive smiles. "Well, when I saw one of the Mad King's car driving down the road, the last thing I expected was to find the one and only Vav sitting inside. I thought maybe it was one of his errand boys, but alas, it was Ramsey's Golden Boy. I knew you'd been working with the King for the last few months, but I didn't think I would ever get to you. It's such an honor to meet you." The man in the front said. "We've heard a lot about you." 

Gavin blinked as he looked at the men before him. He didn't quite understand what all was going on, or who these men were, and it was just making his head hurt even more. "Huh?" He responded with. 

The men in the back shut the doors behind them as the man in the front approached him. He pulled out a pair of brass knuckles from his back pocket and slipped them onto his right hand. "I know you're already in a lot of pain, but I can always make it worse. All we need is some information from you."

"What?" Gavin asked as he looked between the men. He didn't know what was happening, and everything was just spinning in front of him. What was going on? Who were these men? What did they want? He wasn't able to think on it for very long before the feel of cool brass slammed into the side of his cheek and everything went black. 

...

When he woke up again he was still in the same room. The only difference is the lighting had been turned down and the man who had knocked him out was sitting in front of him. "You're awake now. Good. So, back to our conversation, you think you'll be willing to talk to me?" 

Gavin blinked until he could see better. The man in front of him was pretty non-descript, and seemed to be just another merc. No one important, just another nameless gun. "Depends on what you want to hear about." Gavin hummed. He felt his lip split a bit as he spoke. 

Knuckles in front of him sighed before he stood. "You've been spending a lot of time with King. The man I work for would like to know why you and your partner have suddenly decided to team up with him." 

Gavin shrugged as he looked up. "Well, y'know, we go where the money is. Money's always good." 

"I need specifics." Knuckles growled as he circled the chair Gavin was tied to. "Why did he hire you? And why has he brought in SepticEye and Warfstache? Why is Ramsey upping his traffic over to King's?" 

Gavin stretched out his legs in front of him. "We're planning a really big party. One just wasn't enough. Plus I hear SepticEye's birthday is coming up. I mean, I'm not sure if it's true, but that's what I've heard. X-Ray and I are in charge of getting balloons. It's taking so long because we're going all out with one hundred hot-air balloons." He grinned up at Knuckles as he spoke, though it was quickly wiped off of his face as Knuckles slammed his fist into his gut. 

"I'm having some trouble actually believing that. What is the Mad King planning?" 

"You're right, it's not a party." Gavin groaned as he slouched in his chair. "Him, Warfstache, SepticEye, and Ramsey are all going in together to get a really nice yacht. I've seen what they're getting, and it's pretty nice. It's like a timeshare kind of deal." 

Knuckles hit him again, this time in the ribs. "I need you to be serious about this. This won't end until I get what I need."

...

Gavin wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it didn't seem like more than a day or two really. Every time Knuckles would come in, Gavin would continue giving him bullshit answers, and then Knuckles would knock him out. He knew better than to snitch on his crew. 

Between beatings one of the other two who had come in (Gavin called them Sasquatch and Hammer in his head, since one was tall and hairy while the other had a tattoo of a hammer on his forearm. What a tool Hammer was.) and given him food, water, and taken him to the bathroom when he needed it. Other than that he was unconscious most of the time. Right now he was waiting for his next beating, and he was so tired. Ryan's pure white shirt was soaked through with his own blood, and he was fairly certain he had a couple broken ribs and a fractured cheekbone. He wouldn't crack though, he knew better. Besides, even if he did spill, he knew he wouldn't make it out of here alive. Why give them the pleasure of knowing what was going on?

His head turned to the door as it opened once more. Knuckles strolled in with a big smile on his face, something that hadn't happened since he'd first gotten here. He knew it was time. He would die today. "Good afternoon. You were out for a long while this time." Knuckles practically sang out. "Today we're making a little field trip outside. It's a beautiful day out there." He hummed before he began cutting off his bonds. 

"I've been wanting some fresh air. I'm up for it." Gavin murmured in his chair before he was forcefully shoved up out of it. 

"Let's just go." Knuckles muttered as he lead Gavin out of the room. 

When they finally made it outside, Hammer and Sasquatch were already out there. As soon as he saw the cliff he knew what the plan was. "Oh, you're taking me for a picnic by the sea? How lovely, but I think this relationship is moving a little fast, don't you?" Gavin hummed as he stumbled alongside Knuckles. "Also, I'm not sure I'm ready to add in two other people. I wanna get to know the real you first." 

Gavin was shoved to his knees as they reached Hammer and Sasquatch. "I'm sorry...actually, I'm not. You're a gigantic prick, and I'm going to take so much pleasure in killing you." 

The last thing Gavin saw was a boot coming down on his face as he was pushed to the ground.


	19. Chapter 19

There was a feeling in the air, like the sound of a gun going off and the smell and taste of it’s powder clouding your nose. Or the crack of lightning before the rain starts and the thunder soon follows, filling up your mind with it’s noise.

The feeling was suffocating. Ryan didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be back with Gavin, in their bed. But here he was, staring at his broken lad. He wasn’t even allowed in the room Gavin was being kept. What cruel monsters.

He stared at Wilford like the lightning between them was inexistent, his eye void and hollow and pained. He was in so much pain. Jon was there to soothe it all down and Wolf also helped. But once they left, he was left alone with his thoughts and the emptiness of it all. Things were so quiet without Gavin, so, so-

Lifeless.

It made Ryan’s heart clench in so much pain.

He felt a hand slip up his back and he let it, recognizing Jon easily. The man leaned heavily against him before pressing sweet kisses where he could reach. 

“Ryan. Come to bed with us.” And he did, obediently following Jon back to a guest bedroom. Wolf was already there, playing away on his phone. He looked up and his smile felt like honey being poured down Ryan’s throat.

He let himself fall in bed with them, still craving Gavin. They filled the void as good as they could. Dan was soft, pressed up chest to chest, all smiles and hands in Ryan’s hair.

Jon was comfortable, new and old at the same time. He felt the man press kisses to his back and his eyes fluttered shut slowly. He tried to mumble something but was pulled down into sleep instead.

...

He woke up in the night, leaving the bed gently to go look at Gavin. Wilford, X-Ray and Mogar were still there but Gavin was also still very much lifeless. Mogar seemed about to stand but X-Ray’s glare is enough to stop him.

The silence stretched on between them and Ryan couldn’t bring himself to look away from Gavin. Maybe if he simply touched the other’s hand, maybe he could wake up. Or they could switch places.

He left, unable to keep his eyes on Gavin any longer.

Everything had been going so well. They’d killed the men at the steel mill, entered the building and looked around. When it was clear Gavin wasn’t there, they went and scouted the surroundings. And there had been Gavin.

He’d just been kicked in the head and Ryan fired off two shots before he could think, killing the men closest to his lover. And then he’d ran to him, letting Jon handle whatever else was happening.

Once he’d gotten to Gavin, there was nothing he could do other than hold him and rock them back and forth. X-Ray had tried to take Gavin but Ryan had simply screamed at him to back off, effectively scaring the younger.

Of course, Jon had pulled Ryan aside and let Dan pick the broken brit up. The ride home, he took the mask off, trying to scrub at his face paint. If Gavin woke up, he’d rather look like a mess than what had made him leave in the first place.

...

Morning found him at the same time that Dan did. He wanted to tell the man to leave but the hand around his shoulders was enough to deter him. He gave up and leaned heavily against the younger, holding back a whimper. It hurt waiting on Gavin to wake up.

Thankfully, Dan understood. He'd known Gavin for so long after all. Dan stirred at the sound of footsteps and Ryan simply sank further against the man, clinging tightly. When he felt him relaxed, he looked up and spotted Jon.

He pulled away from Dan and left the room. He shouldn't have been with them last night. He shouldn't have given into Wolf's embrace.

He left for the balcony, leaning against the railing. "Ryan." Had Jon's voice always been so tired? "Ryan, talk to me. I want to help."

"You don't have the right to. You lost that right when you left." He knew it was his fault. He'd been so angry before. But he had changed, right?

"Ryan." Still so, so tired. Ryan didn't understand why he sounded so small, frail almost. "Just because I left doesn't mean I stopped loving you." He heard the guilt in those words, felt it himself. They both had someone else, yet they kept being pulled back towards each other it seemed.

"Don't." He felt his voice waver, his eyes water. "Just- please. Leave me alone." He gripped at his hair as he leaned heavily against the railing.

Ryan heard Jon step closer, until his arms were around Ryan's frame and his chest was to the ex-mercenary's back. "You don't have to do this alone. I keep telling you this." Ryan was turned but he refused to look at Jon as he cried. "Let's go back inside, have a coffee, some food. Alright?"

He nodded and Jon tugged him inside by the hand, smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3  
> Don't forget to leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed!


End file.
